Democracy Battling Mobocracy: Bangladesh Shuts Down Internet Services To Prevent Political Violence Ahead Of Polls

Ahead of general elections, internet services were suspended for several hours in Bangladesh after mobile operators shut down their services late Thursday (27 December) following an order from the telecom regulator, reports The Hindu.

Two days ahead of the eleventh national election, four mobile operators were reportedly asked by The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to slow down the internet by shutting down 3G and 4G services, however, the services were restored after a 10 hours.

Bangladesh goes to polls on 30 December. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the country’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is seeking re-election for a record fourth term, while her rival Khalida Zia, the widow of military dictator Ziaur Rahman, who is reportedly partially paralysed, faces an uncertain future in a Dhaka jail.

Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has alleged that thousands of its activists have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown during the campaign.

Earlier reports were suggesting that Bangladesh’s Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed is looking for a blanket blocking of mobile internet during the polls.