The state minister for posts, telecommunications, and information technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, on Sunday said that during the quota reform movement, employees were forced to shut down three data centres in Mohakhali, Dhaka, under frightening conditions.
He explained that three data centres are located in Mohakhali, including Khawaja Tower. One of these centres, situated on the ground floor of the Relief Rehabilitation Centre, was set on fire by anarchists, creating a terrifying situation. Consequently, the employees of the other two data centres in the area were also compelled to shut down due to the panic.
Palak shared these details during a briefing at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Sunday (July 28) around 11:00 am.
"On July 17 and 18, we suspended internet services on a limited scale in some areas for security reasons. However, on July 18, from 3:00pm to 9:00pm, widespread destruction ensued," Palak said. "During this time, the data centre on the ground floor of the Mohakhali Relief Rehabilitation Centre was completely burnt down. Data and technical analysis indicate that several identified terrorists carried out these planned attacks. Those responsible have been arrested, and law enforcement has gathered information from them."
The state minister mentioned that CCTV footage showed a terrorist group deliberately setting fire to the data centre. Additionally, the internet and power sources, including electricity cables of the three data centres in that area, were also burnt. Employees working at these centres, risking their lives, were forced to shut them down amidst the chaos.
Palak also highlighted that fibre-optic cables were torched and cut across the country. "Hundreds of kilometers of fibre cables, those above ground, were burnt and cut by the terrorists. Moreover, fibre optic cables brought to Dhaka via Cox's Bazar-Chittagong, which were pulled over due to road and bridge repairs, were also burnt. It took two days after the incident to identify where such cable disconnections had occurred, and they were repaired under the supervision of the army."
Regarding Kuakata's submarine cable, he said, "Only Kuakata's submarine cable remained active. With that, we quickly restored internet services to critical areas, including airports, diplomatic quarters, commercial zones, media, hospitals, and banks. However, our internet connection with the rest of the world was completely disconnected for three days."
Earlier, from 9:00am to 11:00am, Palak held a meeting with officials from the country's four mobile operator companies, four mobile financial services (MFS), and the Association of Mobile Telephone Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB).
The Secretary of the ICT Department, Md. Samsul Arefin, BTRC Chairman Engineer Mohiuddin Ahmed, and other regulatory agency officials were also present.