Mobile internet services were restored on Sunday in Bangladesh after a ten-day ban. The Sheikh Hasina government had banned the internet to prevent misinformation through social media amid violent protests related to the quota system. IT Minister Junaid Ahmed has also announced to give 5 GB of internet free to all users after the ban is lifted.
Bangladesh IT Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak said that all mobile users will get 5GB of free internet for three days as a sign of restored connectivity. The internet ban was lifted at around 3:00 pm local time. Various telecom operators including Robi, Grameenphone and Banglalink have also informed about this
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Internet banned, data center set on fire
In Bangladesh, following a High Court order, 30 percent of civil service seats were reserved for the children of freedom fighters. After this, students protested across the country, including Dhaka, which later turned violent. Due to this, the internet was banned on 18 July, so that the spread of misinformation through social media could be stopped.
Amid the violent protests, the disaster management building was set on fire, where a data centre was reportedly located. The local Internet Service Provider Association said that the arson resulted in a loss of bandwidth and a 30-40 per cent drop in bandwidth supply. Within an hour, broadband internet connections were down across the country.
- 18 July: Government imposes mobile internet shutdown due to growing protests against quota system in government jobs.
- 18-23 July: There was a complete blackout of mobile and broadband internet services in Bangladesh. After this, broadband was restored in several phases, but internet services remained banned till 23 July.
- 23 July: Mobile internet services were fully restored at around 3 pm but people were not able to use the internet till Sunday, which is now said to have been restored. On the same day, the government had announced to give 5GB of internet free to the users.
More than 100 people died in violent protests
Amid protests against the quota system in Bangladesh, the Sheikh Hasina government ordered shoot-at-sight to protect public property. For example, the Sheikh Hasina government issued orders to the administration to shoot at sight amid curfew. More than 100 people lost their lives during the protests. However, the government does not have any official figures regarding the deaths.