Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury in DB Custody: 27 Months of Reconciliation Failed to Save Sheikh Hasina’s Former Information Adviser

Special Correspondent. Dhaka, November 4, 2026.

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, former information advisor to Sheikh Hasina and editor of The Daily Observer, was on the run for 27 months after the fall of the Awami League government. The influential journalist leader, who evaded arrest throughout Yunus’s interim government, has finally been taken into DB custody. The Detective Branch (DB) police took him from the DBC News office in Mohakhali in the capital on Wednesday (November 4).

After the fall of the Awami League government in the student-public uprising on August 5, 2024, many ministers, advisors, members of parliament and political figures close to the former government were arrested. Many have left the country, while some have been in hiding for a long time. However, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury was one of the people in discussion who continued to move around publicly and carry out professional activities for a long time even after the fall of the government.

Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) police arrested him from the office of a private television channel in the capital’s Mohakhali on Wednesday afternoon.

Detective police removed him from the DBC office

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury was taken from the DBC News office in Mohakhali to the DB office on Wednesday afternoon.

DB Chief Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter. According to him, an unwanted and tense situation had arisen at the DBC office. He was taken to the DB office for questioning to avoid a situation.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Media Division Deputy Commissioner Md. Akhtar Hossain also said that he was being taken for questioning. However, in his initial statement, the police clarified that he had not been officially arrested yet.

Not arrested in 27 months, returned from airport in April

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury has largely been in the background since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. However, there has been discussion for a long time about whether any action is being taken against him.

He was sent back from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while traveling to Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Umrah on April 15 this year. Although he was supposed to board a flight to Saudi Arabia, he was ultimately unable to travel. However, the reason for his return was not officially clarified at the time.

Questions about the safe location of influential Awami League cronies during Yunus’s tenure

Although arrests were carried out against people close to the former government after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, some influential figures remained elusive for a long time. Among them, the names of Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and former Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Naimul Islam Khan have been particularly discussed.

There has been various discussions and criticisms in the political arena about their long absence from arrest. Allegations have also emerged in political discussions that they maintained their position through compromises with the political forces in power at the time, including Jamaat-e-Islami.

There are also questions about the consistency and impartiality of law enforcement against influential figures in the former Awami League government during the Yunus government. In particular, allegations of taking swift action against some based on political identity and influence and remaining inactive for a long time in the case of others have created controversy over the interim government’s law and order management.

Who is Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury?

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury is a well-known journalist and journalist leader in the country. He is the editor of The Daily Observer and served as information advisor to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the Awami League government.

He has led the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ). He has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). In addition, he contested the 2008 National Parliament election from Feni-2 constituency on the nomination of Awami League. He is currently associated with the Board of Directors of DBC News.

Arrest, or just interrogation?

The most important issue surrounding the incident of taking Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury to the DB office is whether he has been formally arrested in any specific case. According to the initial police statement, he has been taken for questioning. What charges are against him, in which case he may have been arrested, or what the connection between his detention and the incident at the DBC office is—these details have not yet been released.

The fact that the former prime minister’s information advisor was taken into custody by the intelligence police 27 months after the fall of the Awami League government has sparked new discussions in the political and journalistic arenas.