During Sheikh Hasina's decade-long authoritarian rule, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) became infamous for its involvement in crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearances.

Their role in running covert prisons, known as Aynaghar, severely damaged their reputation and sparked public outrage, particularly after the fall of Hasina's regime in the wake of a student-led uprising. 

Although Hasina, especially through her Defense Advisor Major General Tareque Ahmed Siddiqi, tried to transform the DGFI into an instrument of repression to extend her rule without public mandate, there were instances where the DGFI refused to yield to pressure from the Prime Minister's office.

One notable instance occurred right before and after the infamous 2018 "midnight election," when DGFI firmly rejected a request from India's External Intelligence Service to link to Bangladesh’s SS7 mobile network, despite receiving approval from the Prime Minister's office.

The request of not going with the proposal was first raised by the station head in Dhaka before the election, and then again twice by the agency's Chief at that time.

Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) is a set of telephony signaling protocols developed in the 1970s, used for setting up and terminating telephone calls across much of the global public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The protocol also handles functions such as number translation, local number portability, prepaid billing, Short Message Service (SMS), and other services.

In simple terms, if the SS7 link had been established, India's External Intelligence Service could have accessed data on "any voice call" made within Bangladesh.

Once the link was in place, they could have gathered information on both incoming and outgoing voice calls between Bangladesh and other countries where Bangladesh had roaming agreements.

Why did DGFI block the plan? 

Multiple sources consulted by Bangla Outlook confirmed that India sought this link due to its lack of a roaming agreement with Pakistan. 

They aimed to use Bangladesh's SS7 network to gather voice call data related to Pakistan.

Through the SS7 link, India could have collected details such as the sender and receiver's phone numbers, their locations, call duration, timing, and other metadata, though not the actual voice content, according to a high-ranking source.

The Indian External Intelligence Service also proposed the installation of a submarine cable interception system in Bangladesh.

It's important to note that Bangladesh is part of the submarine cable routes SMW-4 and SMW-5, where such an interception system could be set up.

Documents obtained indicate that India presented two options for installation: either they would bring the necessary equipment to Bangladesh's submarine cable landing station for a live demonstration, or a team from Bangladesh could travel to India for the demonstration.

If this system had been installed, India would have been able to intercept data on any incoming or outgoing voice calls between Bangladesh and other countries, as well as any voice calls generated within Bangladesh.

Sources indicate that Major General Tareque Siddiqui, along with the then Chief of the National Security Intelligence (NSI), Major General TM Jobayer, pressured the DGFI to assist Indian intelligence in establishing the system.

It is important to note that NSI Chief Jobayer was stationed in London at the same time as the then RAW Chief, Samant Kumar Goel.

Sources suggest that Major General Jobayer developed a close rapport with Goel, who later sought to leverage this relationship for his advantage.

"Access to the SS7 network could have posed risks that directly threatened the national interest," said an official who had served in the DGFI. "That's why we stopped it."

Multiple sources within the DGFI revealed that several officials, including some high-ranking ones, faced repercussions for refusing the Indian proposal and acting in the best interest of the country.

The punitive actions taken against them included denial of promotions and transfers to less significant departments, sources said.

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