Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) on Wednesday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to shut unregistered online news portals operating in Sylhet city in violation of the National Online Media Policy.
In a public notice signed by SMP Commissioner Abdul Quddus Chowdhury, it said registration is mandatory for operating online news portals under the National Online Media Policy 2017 (amended 2020).
However, a number of portals have been operating in Sylhet without proper registration and publishing false, misleading and motivated reports.
The notice said such content is spreading propaganda, defamatory information and anti-state narratives, creating confusion among the public and damaging the country’s image.
The SMP directed all unregistered online news portals to remove their platforms from both local and international domains within 48 hours of the notice – by 6:00pm on May 1.
It warned that strict legal action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the directive.
At the same time, the SMP urged residents of Sylhet city to refrain from sharing, liking, commenting on or promoting content published by unregistered news portals on social media.