Case filed over spreading propaganda against Nagad

A case has been lodged with Banani Police Station under Digital Security Act against a few Facebook pages and several people who allegedly spread propaganda against Nagad.

A vested quarter is trying to discredit Nagad’s outstanding success in digitalising disbursements of different government allowances and education stipends, said Nagad in a press release.

Being envious of Nagad’s success in primary stipend disbursements, rumours are being spread on social media against this state-owned MFS to interrupt its business activities, it said.

In early 2020, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued a directive to disburse all government allowances among marginal people through Nagad as it is working as a development partner of the government.

But in defiance of this directive, many government agencies had continued to distribute allowances through private mobile financial institutions that have foreign partners. Then, allegations surfaced that there had been a lack of transparency with many actual beneficiaries having lost out on financial aid meant for them. The government was also not happy about the matter. As a result, many of the agencies have chosen Nagad for disbursements of allowances.

Recently, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has entrusted Nagad with the job of disbursing stipends and educational materials among 1.5 crore primary school students for the next five years. Several ministries and agencies followed suit and chose Nagad for allowance disbursements. And this is what angered the vested quarter.

Earlier, this group had spread false and fabricated information on Facebook and other digital platforms in various ways. They even distributed leaflets in an attempt to tarnish the image of Nagad. During that time, Nagad had filed cases based on some specific attempts made to smear its image and reputation. Later, the Bangladesh Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in an investigation found the involvement of several officials of a foreign-owned company in the smear campaign against Nagad. The matter is now sub-judice.

Chief of Strategic Relations and LEA Operations of Nagad Limited Col Kousar Soukat Ali (retd) said, “We are becoming a target of social media attacks again and again. Having got the responsibility of government disbursements, false propaganda and rumours against us have gone up all the more. Faced with smears on social media, the Nagad authorities have finally resorted to the law for remedy.”