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Published : 21 May 2026, 06:12 PM
The headquarters of the police's Special Branch (SB) has been left “completely in the dark” about field-level operatives knocking on journalists' doors or phoning them to demand extensive personal data, including their political affiliations.
The intelligence agency's chief, Additional Inspector General of Police Sardar Nurul Amin, suspects that some personnel might be conducting these intrusive inquiries on their own individual initiative.
Over the past few days, several working journalists in Dhaka reported receiving visits or phone calls from individuals identifying themselves as SB operatives.
These agents have been demanding highly sensitive personal information, including social media profile links or IDs, national identity card copies and utility bill invoices, as well as direct disclosures of their political leanings.
A form circulating on social media purportedly from the City Special Branch seeking such information has added to the furore, drawing sharp reactions from press freedom advocates.
Media leaders strongly condemned the practice through communication outlets, pointing out that intelligence agencies possess absolutely no legal jurisdiction or authority to investigate the political backgrounds of professional journalists.
Some have called it a "dangerous precedent" and demanded the data collection exercise be stopped immediately.
When contacted, SB chief Nurul he only learned about the matter through third-party accounts. "I have sent it for verification. I am looking at it.”
Asked if it was still ongoing, he said: "No. I’m trying to find out who did this and whether someone did it individually.”
When asked whether any official directive had been issued from his end, he said no.
After the fall of the Awami League government in 2024, a section of journalists faced allegations of being “associates of fascists”, while several were arrested and some remain in jail.
During the same period, mobs also attacked and set fire to the offices of two prominent newspapers.
Against that backdrop, recent attempts to collect information in the name of SB have created fresh concern among journalists.
Several Dhaka-based journalists said they were contacted by people claiming to represent SB.
Some reported that individuals had also visited their homes and requested information including social media links and account details, copies of national identity cards and electricity bills, as well as political affiliations and other personal data.
A form seeking such information has also circulated on social media.
Dhaka Reporters Unity President Abu Saleh Akon said he looked into the matter and spoke with SB higher ups.
He said he had also received a phone call from SB on Wednesday and that many journalists had reported similar experiences.
“Later on Wednesday evening, I spoke with the chief of the Special Branch, who told me he had no knowledge of the matter,” he said.
He added that the Prime Minister’s Press Wing also contacted him on Thursday morning, and based on those discussions, he believed they were also unaware of the issue.
Asked who could be behind the move, Akon said he suspected it might be the work of a group within the government seeking to create difficulties for the administration.
