Following a change in government, previously deprived officials in the administration are receiving promotions. However, there are allegations that several officials, who were controversial or accused of corruption during the previous government, are also securing promotions alongside these deprived officials. In total, at least fifty such officials have been promoted, some of whom have had or currently have cases against them with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and departmental charges. It has been reported that many of these officials are now vying to become District Commissioners (DC). The promotion of these controversial figures has sparked criticism within the administration.
During the 16-year rule of the Awami League, hundreds of officials were denied promotions due to political reasons. Their names were marked as “negative” in intelligence investigation reports, which led to their deprivation. Many were kept in the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) category for years or assigned to unimportant positions. Some were even forced into early retirement.
After the fall of the Awami League government, there was a demand for the promotion of the deprived officials within the administration. Taking this demand into consideration, on August 13, 117 senior assistant secretaries from various batches were promoted to deputy secretary. Following this, on August 18, 201 officials were promoted to joint secretary, among whom at least 45 had been promoted to deputy secretary on August 13.
Last Tuesday, an additional 22 officials were promoted from deputy secretary to joint secretary. In total, 340 officials have been promoted over the past two weeks.
An analysis of the promotion notifications reveals that ASM Humayun Kabir of the 15th BCS batch was promoted to joint secretary on Tuesday. However, this official was a personal secretary (PS) to the Minister of Housing and Public Works, R.A.M. Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, until the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Just a month ago, he secured a five-katha plot from the Prime Minister’s quota under the Uttara-3 project, which has a market value of 70 to 80 million BDT.
Similarly, on August 13, Mumitur Rahman, an accused in an ACC case and a 24th batch officer, was retroactively promoted to deputy secretary with seniority. He was an accused in the much-discussed GK Shamim case while working in the planning branch of the Ministry of Public Works.
Russel Monjur, a 24th BCS batch officer currently serving as Deputy Director at the Bangladesh Employees Welfare Board, also received a promotion to deputy secretary from the list of deprived officers. However, when he was the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Birganj in Dinajpur, drugs were found in his car. In 2015, Upazila Chairman Md. Aminul Islam filed a case against UNO Russel Monjur for his involvement in drug-related activities.
Mohammad Nazrul Islam, another officer from the 24th BCS batch, was promoted to deputy secretary. This officer, who ranked fourth in the merit list of his batch, was the Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Kotwali Police Station in Dhaka early in his career. At that time, he faced a departmental case for financial corruption. He said the case was settled a few years ago. Nazrul stated, “At that time, Mahibul Haque, who was favored by the Awami League government, was the DC of Dhaka. Being an officer from a BNP background, a departmental proceeding was initiated against me.”
Badal Chandra Halder from the same batch, currently the Executive Officer of the Thakurgaon District Council, was also promoted to deputy secretary. There are allegations of financial corruption against him, but he denies these claims, stating they are false. His name is also on the potential DC fit list.
Mostafizur Rahman, a 25th BCS batch officer, was promoted to deputy secretary. It has been alleged that while he was with the Bhola Municipality, 5.5 million BDT in corrupt funds were found in the bank accounts of his wife and mother-in-law. Atul Mondal, a 24th batch officer known for corruption within the administration, was also promoted. There are also corruption allegations against Titu Khisa and Saiful Islam, who were promoted from the same batch. Sources have mentioned that they also have departmental cases against them.
Hasan Habib from the 25th batch was promoted to deputy secretary. While serving as the UNO of Jaldhaka in Nilphamari, he faced a departmental case due to financial corruption. He was also accused of assaulting a manager of a cooperative under the “One House, One Farm” project.
Additionally, the appointment of 31 officers from the 29th BCS was declared illegal by the High Court. Among them, 11 were from the administration cadre. One of these individuals, Asmaul Hosna Liza, was promoted to deputy secretary this time. Another officer from the same batch, Sanjida Yasmin, was also promoted. She has a case with the ACC for allegedly embezzling 290 million BDT during land acquisition for the Padma Bridge rail link while in the LA branch of Madaripur.
When asked about this, administration expert and author of numerous books on administrative affairs, Md. Firoz Mia, told Ajker Patrika, “Only those who were deprived for political reasons despite their qualifications should be promoted. To build a merit-based administration, promotions must be carefully scrutinized. Why should those who lack qualifications or have cases against them be promoted? In an attempt to eliminate discrimination, care must be taken not to create another form of discrimination.”
