Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) ordered internet shutdown across the country during the agitation demanding reform of quota in government jobs and later one-point demand for resignation of the government. The then Minister of State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak ordered the shutdown of the internet by calling directly. This information is known from various related sources.

However, government agencies have not acknowledged the internet shutdown. However, Junaid Ahmed Palak said about internet shutdown, Internet infrastructure was set on fire.

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, an order came from the same department of BTRC to stop mobile internet in 59 universities of the country. The approval of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology is said 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.