Bangladesh TV station taken off air for election day
Dhaka, Dec 30 : A leading Bangladeshi news channel has been taken off the air, officials said Sunday as the country votes for a new government amid allegations of a media crackdown.
The private Jamuna TV said the action was taken late Saturday. "Cable operators took Jamuna TV off air without giving us any explanation," Fahim Ahmed, the station's chief news editor, told AFP.
"We are still transmitting. But no one in Bangladesh can see our channel due to the blackout," he said.
The channel's output can still be seen online.
The broadcaster, which is owned by Jamuna Group -- one of Bangladesh's biggest conglomerates, which also runs a newspaper -- is known for its independent coverage.
Salma Islam, a member of the family that owns the group, stood in Sunday's election as an independent candidate against an influential ruling party businessman.
A top cable operator in Dhaka said Jamuna broadcasts stopped for technical rather than political reasons.
"We are not getting their signal," said S M Ali Chanchal, owner of cable operator UCS.
Jamuna rejected the explanation and insisted their signals were being broadcast as normal.
Authorities have also ordered the country's mobile operators to shut down 3G and 4G services until midnight on Sunday "to prevent the spread of rumours" that could trigger unrest.
There have been mounting accusations that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has been stifling dissent and curbing freedom of the press ahead of Sunday's election.
Internationally renowned photographer Shahidul Alam was detained for nearly four months after he was accused of making false and provocative statements against Hasina on Facebook.
Two pro-opposition editors have been detained for months over what they say are trumped-up charges while the editors of two influential dailies were accused of sedition and scores of other defamation cases.
In recent months Hasina's government has also strengthened a digital security law, which rights groups and journalists have said makes investigative journalism almost impossible.
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“Modi has opened his legs for Israel,” says US journalist during broadcast
New Delhi: A remark made by an American journalist about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy stance towards Israel has triggered discussions online after a clip from a recent broadcast went viral on social media.
Ana Kasparian, co-host and executive producer of the progressive US news programme The Young Turks (TYT), made the comment while discussing Israel’s influence on global alliances and the foreign policies of various countries.
During the segment, Kasparian said: “It looks like Narendra Modi opening up his legs to Israel. Congratulations.”
The statement came in the context of a broader discussion by the programme’s hosts on Israel’s relations with global powers. Kasparian and her co-host Cenk Uygur criticised what they described as one-sided alliances with Israel and argued that such partnerships could draw countries into conflicts in the Middle East.
The discussion also touched on India’s growing strategic ties with Israel, including cooperation in defence, technology and agriculture. Some foreign media outlets have recently highlighted India’s positions in international forums, including votes related to the Gaza situation at the United Nations, as evidence of a shift in its traditional foreign policy stance.
The clip from the broadcast has circulated widely on social media platforms, with users in India and abroad sharing and debating the remark. Some users translated the comment into Hindi and other languages, further expanding its reach online.
Kasparian has previously drawn criticism from pro-Israel groups for her comments on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Her remarks in the latest broadcast have also prompted mixed reactions online, with some users condemning the language used and others engaging in discussions about India’s foreign policy alignment.
Dear @narendramodi ,
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) March 5, 2026
Look what this American Journalist is calling you.
Unacceptable, please send a team of Delhi Police to Los Angeles and get her arrested ASAP under NSA.
pic.twitter.com/F7TqlV54Lz
