Natore District Administrator and Two Upazila Officers Withdrawn Following Complaints Against BNP Activists
Photo Collected
Natore district administration officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and two Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), have been withdrawn from their posts shortly after filing formal complaints against local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) members. The rapid reassignment of these officials, which followed alleged attacks on government offices, has sparked widespread public speculation regarding political interference.
Deputy Commissioner Asma Shaheen and Lalpur UNO Barkat Ullah were withdrawn last Tuesday, followed by Bagatipara UNO Debashish Basak on Wednesday. Additionally, Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner A.N.M. Bazlur Rashid was also withdrawn and placed under the Ministry of Public Administration.
The administrative actions occurred after incidents on August 12, when members of the BNP and its affiliated organizations staged demonstrations, protests, and alleged acts of vandalism at the offices of the Lalpur and Bagatipara UNOs. The protesters were demanding the cancellation of recruitment results for family card census supervisors and data collectors.
In response, administrative officers from both upazilas filed written complaints with local police on the evening of August 19. The complaints named several BNP leaders and hundreds of unidentified individuals, accusing them of vandalism, assault, and obstruction of government duties. Despite these filings, the complaints have yet to be registered as formal cases by the police three days later.
The sequence of events has drawn criticism from local civil society groups. Bulbul Ahmed, general secretary of the Natore chapter of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), expressed concern that the immediate withdrawal of the complaining officials undermines the authority of the administration and may discourage public servants from challenging wrongdoing in the future.
While the withdrawn officials have remained largely reserved regarding the circumstances of their transfer, former Deputy Commissioner Asma Shaheen described the move as a routine bureaucratic process unrelated to the recent complaints. Conversely, BNP district member secretary Asaduzzaman alleged that the complaints filed by the administration were part of a conspiracy to unfairly target party members, denying any connection between their political activities and the official transfers.
Local police authorities have remained non-committal regarding the status of the investigations. Officers-in-charge at the respective stations declined to comment on why the complaints have not been registered as cases, while Natore Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque stated he had not yet been formally briefed on the matters.
0%
0%
0%
0%
