In early September 2026, separate incidents involving journalists and a student raised concerns over coercive state responses to critical expression in Bangladesh.
On 3 September, an Assistant Commissioner allegedly searched journalist Rafiqul Islam Saju’s home in Roumari, Kurigram, accompanied by police and Ansar personnel, reportedly after Saju questioned him about a land-related decision. No drugs were found. The operation took place a day after the official’s transfer order was issued, while the local administration said he had not informed the UNO before conducting the search. A three-member committee was subsequently formed to investigate whether the operation had an ulterior motive. Another journalist, Sakhawat Hossain, who contacted the official about the raid and had previously reported on alleged irregularities in the land office, alleged that the same commissioner allegedly threatened to implicate him in a case, have him disappeared or killed. He subsequently submitted a General Diary application. Local journalists later protested, demanding accountability.
Separately, police detained 20-year-old student Sifat Abdullah in Gazipur on 3 September after his Facebook video criticising electricity bills and using abusive language about political leaders went viral. He was shown arrested in a pre-existing Anti-Terrorism Act case and sent to jail; his bail was rejected on 7 September. Police alleged links to a banned organisation, while his lawyer said the viral remarks were not mentioned in the FIR. His detention also drew public criticism, including from a senior NCP leader.
The incidents reinforce wider concerns about freedom of expression. Human Rights Watch documented four expression-related arrests earlier in 2026, including cases where the Anti-Terrorism Act was invoked following criticism of political leaders. In April, two journalists were also detained and handcuffed after recording another AC Land official. Together, these incidents raise concerns that administrative, policing and national-security powers may have a chilling effect on journalistic scrutiny and political expression.