On Sunday, Aug. 2, The Daily Campus published a report titled, “UK Research Organization Expresses Concern Over Suspension of Three Dhaka University Professors.” The report said that PolicyGov UK, described as a British research organization, had raised concerns over Dhaka University’s decision to temporarily suspend three faculty members, including Sadeka Halim, a professor in the Department of Sociology.

Citing a statement from PolicyGov UK, the report said that any disciplinary action taken by a university should follow a lawful, transparent and independent process, and that those accused should be given a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves before any decision is made.

The same day, a website called America Bangla published a report on the statement under the headline, “New Turn in Suspension of DU Teachers! UK Calls for Transparent Investigation.”

An online search led to a statement on the PolicyGov UK website titled, “PolicyGov UK Calls for Fair and Transparent Procedures Following Suspension of Dhaka University Professors.”

At the end of the statement, the organization listed an address and the names of two individuals: Sanjay Kumar Roy and Tanvir Ahmed.

Both names also appeared in the “Our Co-Founders” section of the PolicyGov UK website, where they were identified as co-founders of the organization.

The website also featured a tab titled “Our People,” which displayed the names and photographs of several individuals, including a number of prominent figures from Bangladesh.

Among them were Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star, and David Bergman, a British journalist. The list also included Masum Billah, a Bangladeshi journalist currently working for Daily Wada, as well as Lubna Ferdousi, a Bangladeshi academic.

Another name listed in the section was Aminul Haque Palash. He previously worked at the Bangladesh Embassy in India on behalf of the country’s National Security Intelligence agency during the government of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He has reportedly remained outside Bangladesh since Aug. 5 and is now believed to be living in England. He has been accused of conducting disinformation campaigns in support of the Awami League from abroad.

News reports have also accused him of taking part in the abuse of students opposed to the Awami League while he was studying at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology during Ms. Hasina’s rule. Several rights groups and alleged victims have raised specific accusations against him.

Given this background, and the presence of several prominent Bangladeshi journalists on the website, a reporter for The Dissent contacted Mr. Anam, Mr. Bergman and Mr. Billah to verify whether they had any relationship with the organization.

Mr. Anam said he had never heard of PolicyGov UK and had no connection to it.

Mr. Bergman told The Dissent that he had not known his name had been added to the website.

He said the organization had recently invited him to take part in a webinar, but he declined because he found the organization suspicious.

Mr. Billah similarly said he did not know how his name had appeared on the list.

The “Our People” section listed 17 individuals in total, including Abbas Faiz, a prominent international human rights advocate. It also included Tanvir Ahmed, a British-Bangladeshi journalist and one of the people behind the website.

Each profile appeared to link to at least one article. For example, Mr. Anam’s profile included an article titled, “Politicians Must Be Open to Accepting Electoral Defeats.” It was published on the PolicyGov UK website on Feb. 7 and focused largely on the Awami League’s participation in elections.

The article was presented in a way that could suggest Mr. Anam had written it specifically for PolicyGov UK.

A Google search of the headline, however, showed that the article had originally been published under Mr. Anam’s name in The Daily Star on Feb. 6. PolicyGov UK did not disclose that earlier publication.

The same pattern was found in the cases of Mr. Bergman and several others. Articles they had published elsewhere were reproduced on the website without identifying the original publications.

The Dissent contacted Mr. Ahmed, a co-founder of PolicyGov UK, and asked whether the names and photographs of Mr. Anam, Mr. Bergman and Mr. Billah had been included in the “Our People” section with their permission, and whether they had any formal connection to the organization. The Dissent also asked why their articles had been republished without attribution.

Mr. Ahmed requested The Dissent’s official email address and said he would respond by email.

PolicyGov UK later said in a statement that an unintended technical problem had caused the names and photographs of several authors to appear in the “Our People” section, even though they were neither members nor affiliates of the organization. It said the information was removed after the problem was identified and that it would be more careful in the future about attribution and the presentation of published material.

The names and photographs of Mr. Anam and Mr. Bergman were removed from the website after The Dissent contacted the organization.

PolicyGov UK was registered on Feb. 6, 2026, at an address in Stratford, London.