Mobile internet services and social media platforms were shut down in Bangladesh again on Sunday amid the ongoing countrywide student protests pressing for resignation of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Users across the country reported experiencing inaccessibility of mobile internet services from about 12.00 noon.
They said that social media platforms were blocked later on the day.
State minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat told reporters on Sunday that the social media platforms were blocked temporarily in the country to prevent rumours from spreading.
Leading telecom operator Grameenphone said in a statement that the authorities ordered the shutdown of mobile internet services.
Banglalink in its statement said the same.
Telecom operator Robi Axiata, and state owned operator Teletalk declined to comment on the matter.
According to media reports, however, state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak denied of shutting down mobile internet services.
Earlier on August 2, some social media platforms, including Facebook, Messenger and Telegram, were down for about seven hours later. Later on, Grameenphone and Banglalink in a media statement said that the authorities ordered them to do so. Robi Axiata declined to comment while Teletalk said that they did not get any such order.
The government shut down the internet connection, both mobile and broadband, across the country on July 18 amid countrywide quota reform protests, and restored the services partially on July 23.
The broadband connection was restored countrywide on July 24, on a trial basis, and mobile internet was restored on July 28.
Users, however, were denied access to the social media platforms until the government unblocked them on July 31.
