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Published : 09 Dec 2025, 10:09 PM
The National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah alleged that an Army officer controlled television broadcasts to manipulate coverage of the July Uprising.
Hasnat, former coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination and now NCP’s chief organiser for the southern region, gave testimony on Tuesday before Internation Crimes Tribunal-2 over the killing of Abu Sayed during the July Uprising.
The bench is headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, with retired district and sessions judge Md Manjurul Bashid and district and sessions judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir as members.
In his testimony, Hasnat described the background to the Uprising and recounted events during interrogations by the DGFI and other intelligence agencies.
Referring to violence on Jul 16, 2024, he said police shot dead Sayed, a student and protest coordinator from the English department of Begum Rokeya University, during protests in Rangpur.
He added that six students were killed across Bangladesh during demonstrations on that day.
In protest, the movement announced funeral prayers in absentia the following day. The University Grants Commission then declared all universities closed, and Dhaka University asked students to vacate halls by 5pm.
He said when students from Amar Ekushey Hall tried to march from Doel Chattar towards TSC, police and the BGB fired tear gas and stun grenades near the Raju Memorial Sculpture.
He said he later took shelter at his uncle’s home in Science Laboratory. Another coordinator Sarjis Alam also went there after the halls were closed.
“The DGFI personnel came to my uncle’s house that night and picked up both of us. When we refused to go with them, they threatened to harm us and our families. We were taken to the State Guest House Padma.”
He said the DGFI pressured them to meet three then-serving ministers and state ministers. They refused, saying they would not meet anyone without speaking to fellow coordinators Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain.
“The DGFI became angry when we declined. Instead of sending us home, they took us to a safehouse, where officers from the DGFI and other agencies interrogated us.”
He said a television was placed in the room where they were questioned.
“The officer interrogating us was watching TV and calling various channels: DBC, Somoy TV and Ekattor TV, to instruct them to change news items and correct scrolls. The channels broadcast news accordingly and tried to portray the situation as normal.”
He said the media aired reports claiming they were holding talks with the government to portray them as “villains”.
“Whenever we were brought before the media, we said our previously announced shutdown and movement would continue. But television channels, especially Somoy TV, Ekattor TV and DBC, aired selective parts of our statements, creating confusion.”
He also alleged that two Army officers named Niloy and Hasnat, identifying themselves as aides to then DGFI director general General Hamid, behaved aggressively and physically assaulted them.
He said the officer named Hasnat was directing media control on behalf of the DGFI.
