Palak ordered BTRC and NTMC to shut down internet
This was none but Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the then Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, who ordered BTRC and NTMC to shut down internet across the country amidst the movement demanding quota reform in government jobs and later the non-cooperation movement demanding the resignation of the government. Eventually, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) ordered the internet shutdown.
This information is known from various related sources. However, government agencies have not yet acknowledged the internet shutdown. But Zunaid Ahmed Palak mentioned about fire in data center for internet shutdown.
It has been reported that around 12:30 PM on July 15, BTRC's Engineering and Operations Department issued an order to shut down mobile internet in Shahbagh and Dhaka University's Raju Sculpture area. Within half an hour of this, another directive called for internet shutdown in Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University and Sylhet's Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
The next day, on July 16, around noon, the order came from the same department of BTRC to stop mobile internet in 59 universities of the country. It was said about the the approval of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology in this order. BTRC is an organization under this Ministry.
A commissioner of BTRC, who did not wish to be named, said that the decision to shut down the internet was not taken in consultation with the commissioners.
Sources in the Submarine Cable Company and ITC said BTRC was ordered to shut down the bandwidth on the evening of July 18. When the ITC companies asked for a written order, messages were sent on WhatsApp. BTRC continued monitoring until the entire country went complete internet shut down by 9 pm. The then state minister Zunaid Ahmed himself called the submarine company and asked them to shut down the internet. Bandwidth supply from Submarine Cable Company and ITC was also stopped on August 5.
In this regard, Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC) Managing Director Mirza Kamal Ahmed said, they stopped the bandwidth being instructed by the authority.
From July 17, the NTMC, an organization under the Ministry of Home Affairs, started giving instructions to shut down the internet. At around 11:30 pm on that day, mobile operators were told by NTMC that Facebook and YouTube, which are outside the scope of content 'blocking' and 'filtering' devices, should be closed from 12 pm. After two hours, NTMC ordered the shutdown of all mobile internet. Director General of NTMC was Major General Ziaul Ahsan. He was discharged from army service on 6 August.
