Home
+
Published : 05 Aug 2025, 01:34 AM
The name of Afizur Rahman, long familiar in media circles during the previous Awami League government, has surfaced again amid allegations of a hostile takeover of Daily Janakantha through a rival editorial board formed by a section of staff.
Afizur, a retired major of the Bangladesh Army, held a rather unusual 11-year stint at the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
During his time there, he faced multiple allegations of overreach and interference in the press.
These include misusing power to summon journalists to the DGFI office for intimidation, exerting pressure over critical reporting, issuing threats against media personnel, and even influencing journalist union elections to install preferred candidates.
In the final five years of the Awami League’s last tenure from 2019 to 2024, Afizur was known for his close links to controversial businessman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat and former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat.
After retirement, Afizur joined Nafeez’s newspaper Dainik Bangla as executive director.
He is now the chief operating officer of Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar.
Janakantha’s current editor and publisher Shamima A Khan has accused him of being the “key figure” behind what she described as a “conspiracy” to seize control of the publication.
She claims a “mob”, incited by insiders, forcefully took over the Janakantha office on Saturday, removing old staff and bringing in a new editorial team allegedly selected by Afizur.
Afizur has denied the allegations, calling Shamima’s claims “falsehoods”.
Responding to bdnews24.com, he said: “I am in no way involved in any of this.”
Asked about past accusations of press interference, Afizur said he did nothing on his own initiative and merely fulfilled his “duties” as a government official.
WHAT OFFICIAL DUTIES DID AFIZUR PERFORM?
In 2019, Asian Age Editor Shoaeb Chowdhury was summoned to the DGFI office, where he was detained for an extended period.
According to him, the summons was prompted by articles in his newspaper about two influential bank chairmen closely associated with the then Awami League government -- Nafeez Sarafat and Nazrul Islam Mazumdar.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, Shoaeb alleged that it was Major Afizur who mistreated him under the pretext of interrogation.
“Afiz handled such communications on behalf of the DGFI,” he claimed. “He coordinated news censorship and pressure campaigns using the agency’s name. And this wasn’t limited to me; it happened across almost all media outlets.”
Following the Janakantha incident, journalist Muktadir Rashid Romeo of Bangla Outlook shared his own experience of harassment allegedly facilitated by Afizur.
He wrote, “During Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, Major Afiz, while serving at DGFI, acted as the primary coordinator of repeated interrogations and harassment against me. He issued orders blocking me from all offices. Alongside him, NCP leader Shishir took over control of Janakantha newspaper.”
During Afizur’s tenure at the DGFI, his close relationship with Padma Bank’s former chairman, Nafeez Sarafat, became a frequent subject of discussion among journalists.
Multiple allegations circulated at the time, including claims that Afizur had threatened journalists over the phone and summoned them to DGFI headquarters for harassment, reportedly to shield Nafeez’s interests.
For understandable reasons, no one spoke out publicly about these matters at the time.
Further accusations surfaced involving the exertion of pressure to "install" preferred candidates and influence elections at both the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ).
Journalist Saidur Rahman of Ittefaq posted a photo of Afizur with Sheikh Hasina on Facebook, commenting: “During the previous Awami League government, he held an executive role at Dainik Bangla and NewsBangla24. He also served as coordinator at the Canadian University of Bangladesh. Afizur acted as a field officer for Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, then chairman of Padma Bank.
"He blatantly interfered in DRU and National Press Club elections, harassing candidates day and night through the use of intelligence agencies.
"At night, he hosted exclusive parties with his circle of journalist followers. Under his leadership, a so-called ‘Janakantha reform campaign’ is now under way.”
Due to mounting controversy, Afizur was at one point removed from his post at the DGFI. However, he was later reinstated, reportedly on the recommendation of a cabinet minister from the Awami League. He was eventually retired from service.
After leaving the Army, Afizur formally joined Nafeez’s media ventures.
Nafeez Sarafat, who chaired the board of trustees at the Canadian University of Bangladesh, had also brought on board former state minister Arafat as chief advisor.
At the university, Afizur served as chief coordinator and director of admissions, marketing, and student affairs.
A native of Gopalganj, Afizur was known for his close ties with senior Awami League leaders. His photos with party chief Hasina were published in newspapers.
Before and after the 2024 general election, Afizur reportedly attended two closed-door meetings between Hasina and a group of selected editors, which raised eyebrows within journalistic circles.
A former student of Jahangirnagar University, Afizur had at one point initiated a PhD on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Reports of his research were published, and he appeared at several events identifying himself as a “Bangabandhu researcher".
When asked by bdnews24.com whether he had completed the PhD, he replied, “A portion of the research was completed, but due to several circumstances, I couldn’t finish it.”
The latest allegations surrounding the Janakantha takeover have sparked criticism, even from within Awami League ranks.
Hamza Rahman, an Awami League activist now based in London, voiced his disappointment in a Facebook post after Afizur’s name resurfaced in connection with the controversy.
For his part, Afizur maintains that all his actions while in uniform were performed under official directives.
“I served in the DGFI, it was a government post,” he said. “As a Major-ranked officer, I tried to fulfil my assigned duties professionally, especially in the areas of public relations and media.”
He rejected allegations of media intimidation. “If anything, my 11 years at the DGFI helped me build strong relationships with journalists, many of which still stand today.”
Afizur also denied any involvement in manipulating DRU elections.
“Regarding those candidacies, my role was only to coordinate as per instructions from higher authorities.
"Even the former prime minister’s press secretary, the late Ihsanul Karim (Helal Sir), was involved in the process.”
He added that he had been deployed to a UN peacekeeping mission during his DGFI tenure and was reappointed to his original post upon return.
Afizur now claims to have severed all ties with Nafeez and any of his institutions.
Regarding the viral photo with Hasina, he criticised what he described as unprofessional “media trials” taking place on social platforms, which, he said, often misuse such images without proper verification.
He contended that many of the accusations leveled against him stemmed from “miscommunication and a lack of accurate information,” and expressed confidence that a thorough investigation would set the record straight.
When asked specifically about the Janakantha episode, Afizur said he had been occupied with his mother’s recent heart attack and hospitalisation, which left him unable to respond adequately to the situation.
He attributed the newspaper’s ongoing problems to the editor’s younger son, saying that the “core problem” began when seven staff members had been dismissed.
Afizur denied any role in the incident.
“This is a fabrication by the editor. I had no involvement whatsoever.”
He also claimed that he had stopped going to the office since Sunday, had relinquished use of the office car, and intended to resign.
