YouTuber SA Sabbir is currently imprisoned in Kashimpur Jail following his arrest under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act. His detention comes after he published a series of evidence-based videos critical of the government, which led to a case filed by individuals with close ties to the ruling establishment.
Widely known as SA Sabbir on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, Sabbir had long been releasing videos containing documents and evidence that questioned the activities of high-ranking government officials and their alleged opaque dealings with foreign powers.
His videos highlighted concerns about the growing influence of foreign agendas within Bangladesh’s political and security circles. Following the release of these videos, discomfort spread across government-aligned factions.
On March 23, 2025, television producer Muntasir Mamun filed a General Diary (GD) at Banani Police Station, claiming that SA Sabbir had falsely labeled him and two others as foreign agents. According to the GD, Sabbir’s videos were misleading and deliberately defamatory.
In the videos, SA Sabbir accused Muntasir Mamun, theater director Mabrur Rashid Bannah, and opposition BNP leader Mahdi Amin of conspiring against the state on behalf of India. He further alleged that there were plots underway, reminiscent of the 1975 coup, to assassinate the Army Chief inside a military cantonment, with extremist financing involved.
Following an investigation, Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police’s Cyber Special Crime Division charged SA Sabbir with conducting anti-state propaganda. However, no independent verification of the evidence presented in his videos was made public during the investigation.
On the night of April 4, law enforcement officers arrested Sabbir from the Mugda area of Dhaka. During the operation, police seized a laptop, an Android mobile phone, a microphone, a camera, a memory card, and two expired passports from his possession.
The following day, on April 5, Sub-Inspector Imdadul Haque of Banani Police Station filed a case against Sabbir under the Public Security Act and Sections 6(1)(Ka)(E)/12 of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act 2013.
On the same day, police presented Sabbir before the court and requested a seven-day remand; the court granted a three-day remand. Afterward, Sabbir was transferred to Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur, where he remains incarcerated.
As SA Sabbir disappeared from YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, rumors of his disappearance began circulating online in May. Many netizens feared that he had been forcibly disappeared.
His father, Helal Sarkar—a mattress shop owner in Ullah Bazar, Saghata Upazila of Gaibandha—claimed his son’s arrest was a conspiracy. He recently visited Sabbir in jail and is attempting to secure bail for him.
“My son studied in Dhaka and has been living there for the past 15 to 16 years. He married in Satkhira. We learned about his arrest from his wife,” Helal Sarkar said.
Md. Sabbir Sarkar was a resident of Demra and Mugda areas of Dhaka. Through his YouTube and TikTok platforms, he published videos addressing political and social issues. According to his family, Sabbir’s content was based primarily on documented evidence.
Publication Date: 10 June, 2025
Reports published in various newspapers on this issue: prothomalo, banglatribune, ajkerpatrika, kalerkantho, samakal
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