Internet services were shut down by the government's decision in the July coup

"It is not because of the burning of data centers; Internet service providers can understand the country-wide internet shutdown in the July uprising coup 'government decision'." - The then president of the Broadband Internet Service Providers Association (ISPAB), Md. Emdadul Haque Mollah.

The director of Optimax Communication Limited, an internet service provider, made the statement on April 12 as the third witness in a case filed against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and former state minister for information and communication technology Junaid Ahmed Palak in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the coup. The former state minister was at the back of the court when he made his remarks. In his presence, he told the court that the internet service could not be continued, as the supply of bandwidth from ITC and the submarine had stopped.

During the cross-examination of Aminul Gani, the defense lawyer for the data center case, Emdadul Haque Mollah said he saw the burning when Palak visited the relief building on July 23, 2024. He also observed the burnt overhead cable. You also saw that the disaster management server burned down. As the fire spread in the vicinity, locals cut some cables, he said.

"We are at the last stage of providing internet services," he added. We also have two layers of IIG (International Internet Gateway) submarine cables. There are companies, including ITC (International Terrestrial Company). A fire broke out at the Mohakhali Disaster Management Building on July 18, 2024. Internet services were suspended in some areas. Internet services were shut down across the country at around 9pm on that day. When contacted, the International Internet Gateway (IIG) said that the supply of bandwidth from ITC (International Territorial Cable) has been stopped. They then understood that the government had closed the internet service. This is because there are 15 or 16 more data centers across the country.

When asked about the statement, the then top leader of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) said, 'No question was asked about the internet shutdown during the interrogation; I only answered the question.' There was no opportunity to give an opinion. Because there are only ants. "They basically took this statement as my expert opinion on the burning of the data center."

He told the court that Emdadul Haque Mollah is 53 years old. He is an internet service provider. He is the director of Astimex Communications Limited. I served as the president of the Internet Service Providers Association from 2023 to May 2025.

Emdadul Haque also said that on July 23, when the then state minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak visited the site, they requested to start the internet. In response, the state minister assured the start of the service on the same day and mentioned the fire in the data center. However, the witness claimed that it was a political statement because the fire broke out in the disaster management building, not in any data center.

He also mentioned that although some fiber optic cables outside the building were damaged, it was possible to keep the internet service running through other data centers in the country.

DBTech/DHE/MUIM