Four social media-based media offices sealed off in Chattogram

Chattogram District Administration has sealed off the offices of four online news channels, mainly operating on Facebook and YouTube, on charges of publishing news and running television without proper registrations.

Furthermore, the mobile courts seized broadcasting equipment of these channels, including cameras, on Sunday.

The online news channels in question are Cplustv, C-vision, SB TV, and 24-TV. At least 50 journalists and officials were working at these online news channels.

Among them, Cplustv, a Chattogram-based online news channel, gained significant popularity among the people of Chattogram by broadcasting news and other content in the Chatgaiya dialect. As the only YouTube channel in Bangladesh, Cplustv had covered the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The channel has over 2.1 million followers on Facebook and one million subscribers on YouTube. Journalist Alamgir Apu serves as the Editor in Chief of Cplustv and is one of the members of the IPTV broadcasting policy formation committee.

District Administration Executive Magistrate Ehsan Murad conducted a raid at the Cplustv office in the port city's Wasa intersection area.

He told The Business Standard, "Following the list sent by the Ministry of Information, the IPTV channels were sealed for allegedly operating and broadcasting news without a license. These are IPTV channels, and we found IPTV equipment during the raid. Raids will be conducted in all unauthorized institutions in phases."

However, Clus TV stated that they operate on social media and YouTube. They have applied for IPTV but have yet to receive approval.

Forhad Sikder, the head of broadcast and IT Manager at C-Plus, said, "C-Plus, based in Chattogram, is not classified as an IPTV or a news portal, and therefore, it is not obligated to seek approval. Nonetheless, the recent sudden raid by a magistrate on the office of this popular online medium, resulting in the office being sealed, is an extremely unfortunate incident. C-PlusTV operates as a digital platform entirely on social media."

Condemning this action, Forhad Sikder stated that if popular media outlets continue to be closed one after another and the expression of free thought and independent opinions are obstructed, then the definition of news media in Bangladesh should be reconsidered.

Simultaneously, another executive magistrate of the district administration, Himadri Khisa, conducted a raid at the office of another online TV channel, operating on social media and YouTube, named C Vision in the city's GEC intersection.

Journalist Alamgir Apu, who was one of the members of the IPTV broadcasting policy formation committee, said, "We applied for registration and conducted business by paying VAT and taxes to the government. I have not received any notice indicating the rejection of the application or the closure of the institution. Without any notice, the office was raided and sealed off."

In response to a question from The Business Standard, Executive Magistrate Ehsan Murad said, "Why should we issue a notice to an unauthorized organization? Through these unregistered IPTV channels, various propaganda is carried out from home and abroad. Similarly, legal action will be taken against those operating illegal IPTV channels."