Mobile internet connections were restored in Bangladesh on Sunday, 10 days after authorities banned them nationwide to prevent the spread of fake news on social media amid deadly violence across the country over a reform of the quota system in government jobs.
Addressing a press conference, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Junaid Ahmed Palak announced that all users will be given 5GB of internet free for three days once the connection is restored, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Mobile internet connectivity was restored at around 3 pm local time.
Users of Robi, Grameenphone, Banglalink and other operators in Dhaka said they could access the internet through their phones around 3 pm, the report said.
On 18 July, the government shut down mobile internet across the country after violence escalated.
At the time, Palak had said the decision was taken “in light of the current crisis in the country and to prevent the spread of fake news on social media”, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
The next day, amid escalating violence, the Disaster Management Department building was set on fire, next to which was a data center. While officials from the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) said the fire could cut bandwidth supply by 30–40 percent, broadband internet connection for the entire country was disrupted within an hour.
Bangladesh was cut off from both broadband and mobile internet between July 18 and July 23, after which broadband internet was restored in phases.
However, mobile internet remained unavailable till Sunday.
Regarding access to social media platforms, Palak said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
“Their representatives have to come to Dhaka by July 31 to give clarifications. Then, we will take a decision after discussing with them,” he said.
The BTRC is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunications in Bangladesh.
Violent clashes broke out in Bangladesh between police and mainly student protesters demanding the end of the controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence.
Internet and mobile services were shut down following nationwide violence.
Last Monday, the Supreme Court reduced the quota for ex-servicemen to just 5 percent. Thus, 93 percent of civil service jobs will be based on merit, while the remaining 2 percent will be reserved for ethnic minorities, transgenders and the physically handicapped.
According to local newspapers, more than 100 people have died in the violence. However, no official figures are available about the deaths.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday defended her decision to impose a curfew and issue shoot-at-sight orders following the clashes, saying the tough measures were taken to ensure the safety of lives and property of the people.
The situation in Bangladesh returned to normal on Wednesday, with rush hour traffic in the capital returning to normal and banks, garment factories and internet services reopening on a limited scale.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
