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Behind the closure of popular insidebd.net portal

Media and Newspaper

Editor Special

insidebd.net was a London based very promising online portal that focused Bangladesh related news and views. The portal had launched in January 2015 with a slogan of  Drafting Real History Of Bangladesh and became very popular within short time. Anyone can imagine how popular it became that attracted more than 24 thousands likes in Facebook just three months of its operation.  

Unfortunately and shockingly this promising portal closed down in April 2015. The last post date of the portal still appeared in their Facebook page is 30 march 2015. But the Archive shows the last date is 5th of April. 

Image: Archive image of Insidebd.net 

Image: Facebook page of insidebd.net 

The story

April 1, Daily Naya Diganta reported from Comilla that, Members of Detective Branch (DB) of police have been accused of abducting two meritorious students late on Monday night from Tulagaon village, Nangolkot sub-district, Comilla. Family members of the two abducted students have said that men in plain clothes identifying themselves to be DB police had whisked them away late at night.

Image: Abducted Osman Gani Mridha  and Nasir Uddin Mridha

However, the various branches of the security forces denied having any knowledge of the arrest or abduction of the two students. Family sources informed that one of those abducted by the plain clothed men was Osman Gani Mridha (21), son of Yunus Ali Mridha of Tulagaon village. Osman is a student of the economics department at Comilla Victoria Government College. The other student abducted is Nasir Uddin Mridha (17), son of Mostafizur Rahman Mridha of the same household in Tulagaon. Nasir is a class 11 student at Nangalkot Hasan Memorial Degree College.

Like every night, they were asleep after completion of studies late into the night. At around 1:30 am past midnight, 10-12 plain clothed men identifying themselves as DB police woke them up and in a short time, forced them into vehicles and quickly drove off with them. After the incident, various branches of police including Nangolkot police were contacted for information on the abducted students. However, all of them denied having any knowledge of the incident or of the abducted students.

Yunus Ali Mridha, father of one of the abducted students Osman Gani Mridha, said, “We have heard that they are being held at the DB headquarters at Mintu Road in Dhaka. However, we have not being able to receive any confirmation whatsoever of the news till now.”

Image: Original news from Daily Naya Diganta

The story has not end here. It just started. The two students taken to Dhaka DB office and tortured to find the information about Insidebd.net! Omar Faruque Mridha, the founder and Editor of Insidebd.net is the elder brother of two above student. One is his own brother and another one is his cousin. These two cousin has been arrested because of insidebd.net and their linked to Editor Omar Faruque.

While talking to Editor of insidebd.net, things revealed further. Insidebd.net published a news few days ago where the leaked the information of a possible operation that police aiming to conduct an arbitrary arrest of opposition party. It was a secret decision but somehow they received the news and published it in their site. That's the 'sin' they committed. Since then Intelligence agency after the insidebd.net and started investigating who run this and from where. Finally they managed to track down but fortunately Omar Faruque Mridha is in London. So, DB arrested his younger brother to stop  elder brother Faruque Mridha. 

BD not only tortured Osman Gani Mridha and Nasir Uddin Mridha but also took money and asked Omar Faruque to shut down insidebd.net if he wants his brother to be alive! Omar Faruque obliged the order to save his brother. Yet, he could not as police file case against the two student on controversial ICT act. Their case waiting for court hearing but both sent to jail. 

This is Bangladesh now where police, DB or intelligence branch terrorizing people, family and relatives for their target. Though there is no such law that allow this sort of action in a Democratic country. What we loss here?

A promising portal that used to provide authentic news, views and analysis end its journey just within 3 months. Two innocent students passing hardship and their family going through insecurity and financial burden.  

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