Published: 05:58 AM, 22 May 2026
Phone Calls to Journalists Are Not Centrally Instructed: SB Chief
A stir has erupted after field officers of the Special Branch (SB) reportedly spent several days summoning journalists and collecting information from them. However, SB chief Sardar Nurul Amin has offered a different explanation.
According to him, this was not a centrally directed operation by the SB; rather, he suspects that someone may have done it "on their own initiative."
Meanwhile, the issue has sparked mixed reactions among journalists. However, it remains unclear who exactly is carrying out these activities and for what purpose. Following the uprising of 2024, a section of journalists were labeled as "allies of fascism" and faced various forms of harassment. After the fall of the government of Sheikh Hasina, many journalists were arrested, and several are still in prison.
Mobs also vandalized and set fire to the offices of two newspapers. There has also been discussion within journalistic circles that the top positions of several newspapers and television stations were "taken over like occupied territory."
Four days ago, Editors' Council, an organization representing editors of a section of the country's print newspapers, met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and submitted a list of 282 journalists facing various cases. Among them, 94 journalists have been charged with murder in cases filed after August 5. Many journalists are still under travel bans.
In such a situation, requests for information in the name of the SB have created a sense of fear among journalists. Several journalists in Dhaka said they had been contacted by individuals identifying themselves as SB members or officers. In some cases, officials reportedly visited journalists' homes and asked for social media links or IDs, national identity cards, copies of electricity bills, political affiliations, and various other personal details.
A form reportedly created in the name of the City SB for collecting such information has also been circulating on social media.
A senior journalist from a state-owned media outlet, requesting anonymity, said several employees at their office had been contacted and met by City SB officers. Using a form, the officers asked for names, educational qualifications, political affiliations, whether they had any profession besides journalism, family information, and political views. They also collected Facebook IDs.
A few media professionals said, "Mainly journalists who were recruited during the Awami League era had received such calls up until Wednesday. Many discussed at the office that the officers' behavior was rude. However, the officer who met me behaved quite well."
On Thursday, while meeting a senior police officer, a journalist known to the officer called him regarding the SB "verification" issue.
The journalist requested the officer over the phone to "look into the matter a little." After the conversation, the police officer commented that the journalist had called him three times about the issue and appeared to be "quite frightened."
When contacted on Thursday to ask why information collection from journalists had suddenly begun, SB Additional IGP Sardar Nurul Amin said their headquarters was "not officially aware" of the matter. He said he only learned about it after journalists contacted him.
"Someone called me saying this was happening. I have asked for it to be verified. I'm looking into it."
Asked whether the information collection was still ongoing, Sardar Nurul Amin replied, "No, no, no. I am investigating who did this… whether some individual did it independently."
When asked whether there had been any central directive from the SB regarding the matter, he answered in the negative.
Following reactions within the journalistic community, Abu Saleh Akon, President of Dhaka Reporters Unity, also looked into the matter. He too said that after speaking with senior government officials, he believed this was not part of any central initiative.
"On Wednesday, I also received a phone call in the name of the SB. Many other journalists received similar calls. The issue has created mixed reactions among journalists. Later on Wednesday evening, I spoke with the chief of the Police Special Branch. He told me he knew nothing about it.
"Then on Thursday morning, the Prime Minister's press wing contacted me regarding the matter. From what they said, it seemed they also knew nothing about it."
So who is behind it? Abu Saleh Akon said, "It seems to me that some group within the government itself is doing this in order to embarrass the government."
