On Sunday (11th August), the Interim Government of Bangladesh issued a stern warning to media organisations and threatened a complete shutdown if it indulges in sycophancy. Notably, Home Affairs Adviser to the Interim government, Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain warned that the media outlets would face closure if they indulged in flattery/sycophancy or provided misleading news. This serves as a chilling effect as he also blamed local media for not reporting the truth and flattering the Sheikh Hasina government during ‘student’ protests.
On Sunday, Hossain briefed the media after visiting injured police personnel at the Rajarbagh Police Hospital at 12:30 PM. He claimed that during the recent protests, the Bangladeshi media repeatedly said, ‘nothing happened, nothing happened’. “I saw everything from the BBC but not our media. Shame on you. Shame on the Media Owners,” he said.
The Home Affairs Adviser criticised the Bangladeshi media for not presenting the truth. He said, “A country deteriorates when the media fails to report honestly.” He argued that had the media accurately reported events, the current situation involving the police might have been avoided.
He added, “The media often ignores the truth…There is a lack of substantive discussion on talk shows, and the media fails to provide accurate information.”
The Home Affairs Adviser added, ‘Whatever happened before, no one will be allowed to indulge in flattery again. Media will work independently. Even then, those media who will be indulging in sycophancy/flattery will be closed. I repeat, I will shut down the media hall of flattery.”
He further stated, “The politics of Bangladesh has been turned into the politics of flattery. It has damaged the country. You don’t make politicians, you make flatterers/sycophants. Made such flattery that – people are dying, but they say, ‘No, everything is fine’. Politics cannot be done with such sycophants. Those who are doing politics, they cannot leave politics. Avoid flattery.”
Additionally, the Interim government’s adviser for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Nahid Islam said that officials who were involved in the internet shutdown during the recent student protests will face consequences, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
He made these remarks while speaking with reporters on the first day of joining his office at the Secretariat on Sunday. He said that access to the internet is a right and disrupting or shutting it down is a violation of human rights. He claimed that the indiscriminate internet shutdowns will no longer be tolerated.
Meanwhile, according to the newly-appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Mainul Islam, at least 42 members of the police force were killed and scores were injured in clashes during the recent protests that resulted in Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. According to the Daily Star newspaper, he said that over 500 police personnel were injured and took treatment at the hospital. Islam added that more than two dozen police personnel are still undergoing treatment.
