Dhaka: Citing security reasons, the Bangladesh government has shut down mobile networks along the country’s borders with India, hitting around 10 million subscribers, according to media reports Tuesday.
The Bangladesh government’s directive to the telecommunication operators came days after India’s Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), causing much concern in Dhaka.
The operators suspended the networks Monday within one kilometre of the country’s borders with India, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in its order Sunday to telecommunications service providers- Grameenphone, Teletalk, Robi and Banglalink- said network coverage in the border areas should be suspended until further notice ‘for the sake of the country’s security in the current circumstances’, it said.
“A high-level meeting of the government took this decision, following which the instructions were issued,” BTRC chairman Jahurul Haque was quoted as saying by ‘bdnews24.com’. However, he declined to elaborate.
A BTRC official was quoted as saying by the ‘Dhaka Tribune’ that around 2,000 base transceiver stations have been closed that would affect around 10 million users in 32 districts that share border with India and Myanmar.
According to the media reports, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Foreign Minister Momen expressed ignorance over the government’s decision to suspend mobile communications in the border areas with India.
“I do not have any such information. Let me know about it first and then I will comment,” Kamal said.
PTI