PM's Red Telephone Outage Sparks Security Concerns at Bangladesh Secretariat
A highly unusual disruption involving the Prime Minister’s special high-security “Red Telephone” network inside the Bangladesh Secretariat has triggered significant concern across the country’s administrative and security establishments.
Preliminary findings indicate that portions of sensitive copper communication cables running through several key Secretariat buildings were either cut or stolen. As a result, the telephone communication systems of the Prime Minister’s Office and several other top-level government offices were temporarily rendered inoperative.
According to reliable sources, the issue came to light on Monday morning following the Eid-ul-Adha holidays, when routine checks conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office detected that the Red Telephone line had no connection or dial tone.
The matter was immediately reported to Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL).
A specialized BTCL technical team promptly arrived at the site and began restoration work. After nearly seven hours of intensive efforts, the connection was successfully restored at around 3:00 pm.
Officials responsible for the repair operation said that valuable copper cables had been cut at multiple points along the route extending from the Secretariat’s old Building No. 2 to the new Building No. 1, while some sections of cable were found to be missing altogether. The disruption affected not only ordinary telephone services but also secure communications used by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet Division, and the Ministry of Public Administration—among the government’s most critical policymaking institutions.
Following the incident, a General Diary (GD) was filed with the relevant police station as part of legal proceedings. BTCL has also sent an official letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, requesting a thorough review of CCTV footage from the affected areas of the Secretariat, the rapid identification of those involved in the alleged sabotage or theft, and strict legal action against the perpetrators.
At the same time, several state intelligence agencies have reportedly launched in-depth investigations to determine the cause and circumstances behind the incident.
Senior officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs have described the matter as highly unusual and a source of concern for national security. According to them, the disruption of one of the country's most sensitive and secure communication systems cannot be treated lightly, and investigators are examining whether there was any specific motive behind the incident. They added that the true cause of the disruption and the identities of those responsible would become clearer once the formal investigation report is completed.
Meanwhile, the incident has reignited concerns within the administration regarding overall security arrangements at the Secretariat, the country’s highest administrative center and one of its most heavily guarded facilities.
Several officials have expressed frustration, alleging that despite the Secretariat’s status as the nation’s most important and secure administrative zone, current measures for controlling the entry and movement of outsiders remain inadequate.
In light of the incident, officials argue that it is now imperative to comprehensively strengthen security arrangements for the Prime Minister’s Office and all other key government and KVIP installations, while imposing stricter monitoring and access-control measures for non-authorized individuals.
DBTech/AI/EK/OR
