August 15, 2025
DHAKA – The government has formed a committee to investigate how the state’s surveillance infrastructure had been used to violate the rights of citizens during the Awami League regime.
The cabinet made the decision following an investigative report published by The Daily Star into Tk 1,382 crore worth of surveillance equipment that was purchased by Rab, police and the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC), and a report published by Tech Global Institute simultaneously on the same issue.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, chief adviser’s special assistant for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, has been made the head of the committee.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam disclosed the development while briefing the media at the Foreign Service Academy yesterday following a weekly meeting of advisers.
“What is clear from the reports is that the past autocratic regime used surveillance equipment and spyware to illegally conduct surveillance on citizens and violate their constitutional right to privacy.”
According to the press secretary, the committee will investigate how much money was spent on surveillance, which countries these supplies came from, and how they were used.
Shafiqul asserted that the government’s surveillance mechanism is not being used unlawfully at the moment.
In addition, the government has also launched an investigation into the procurement of lethal weapons for the police and how they were used, he added.
This decision also follows a report by The Daily Star on how the police stockpiled seven times as many lethal weapons as non-lethal weapons.