The Interim Government has started taking action against the high-ranking government officials who served as returning officers (ROs) in the three controversial parliamentary elections during the fascist Awami League regime.
Of these officials, who were working as deputy commissioners (DCs) during the elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024, many are now serving as secretary, additional secretary and joint secretary.
Of them, the government is sending those who have completed 25 years of service into compulsory retirement and making the rest officers on special Duty (OSDs).
As part of it, 22 former DCs, who have already completed 25 years of service, were sent into forced retirement on Thursday. They include a senior secretary, secretaries, additional secretaries and joint secretaries.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Md Mokhlesur Rahman informed reporters of the decision at the Secretariat.
He said the ministry has issued separate notifications to this end.
Earlier on Wednesday, the government made 33 joint secretaries and equivalent officials working in various ministries, divisions and offices as OSDs. They served as the ROs in the controversial 2018 election being deputy commissioners of their respective districts.
Mokhlesur Rahman said a committee on public administration has recently been formed where there are four advisers. The cabinet secretary is on the committee and he himself is in the secretarial role as the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration.
The senior secretary said the committee has made some major decisions.
It has decided that action will be taken against those who were returning officers (DCs) in the controversial elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024 and played a negative role.
He said 43 of them whose service age is less than 25 years have been made OSDs. And those whose service age is more than 25 years are being sent into compulsory retirement as orders were issued to give compulsory retirement to 22 such former DCs on Thursday.
Mokhlesur Rahman said the officials had served as ROs in the general elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024 which are widely criticised as controversial, unaccepted and night voting.
"Those who served as returning officers in these polls played a very negative role. None of them protested, resigned or refused to take part in the illegal practice," he added.
Among them, a joint secretary was working at the Ministry of Home Affairs, but he has been absent from his workplace since the fall of fascist Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5 last year.
The senior secretary said the former DCs who face allegations of corruption will be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
In response to a question about other officials apart from the former DCs, he said those who face corruption allegations or those who have done excessive going beyond the law will be punished according to the service rules.
The previous three general elections were highly controversial. Most of the political parties, including BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, boycotted the 2014 and 2024 elections.
The fascist Awami League held the name-only elections unilaterally through engineering and the elections were marked with various irregularities.
The then Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, became controversial after the 2018 election as opposition parties alleged ballot-box stuffing the night before the Election Day.
The Awami League clinched a victory with a two-thirds majority in the election, while the BNP bagged only six seats and Jamaat got no seat in the polls.
Despite getting 26 conceded seats from the Awami League in the general election, the Jatiya Party won only 11 after fielding the second-highest number of 265 candidates.
In a study report published in January 2019, Transparency International Bangladesh said stamping of ballots took place the night before the Election Day in more than one centre of 33 out of 50 surveyed constituencies.
According to a Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJON) book, the turnout was 100% in 213 polling stations, it was between 90% and 99% in 7,689 centres in the 2018 polls.
On December 24 last year, a section of police officials admitted that they were under pressure from the higher authorities during the last three national polls, which were marred by controversies.
During a meeting with the Electoral Reform Commission, they alleged that there were "financial transactions" during the 2014, 2018 and 2024 parliamentary polls.
According to a complaint filed with the ACC, under the leadership of the then Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and with overall management by party’s General Secretary Obaidul Quader, party leaders and activists orchestrated the election irregularities.
It also accuses government officials from various levels, including the then inspector general of police Javed Patwary, DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, RAB chief Benazir Ahmed and IGP Shahidul Haque, PM’s Security Affairs Adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Public Administration Aviser HT Imam, deputy commissioners, returning officers, divisional commissioners, range DIGs, police superintendents, officers-in-charge of police stations, district and upazila election officers, presiding officers and other officials associated with the election process, of being involved in the irregularities.
The ACC has decided to investigate the roles of fallen fascist Sheikh Hasina, chiefs of police and RAB, returning officers and others in the national polls held on 30 December 2018.
ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain in a recent press conference said a five-member team has been formed to probe the allegations and the team would analyse videos, reports from local and international media, election result sheets, and other necessary materials to prepare and submit their findings.
Meanwhile, sources said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has initiated an investigation into suspected tax evasion and illicit asset accumulation by 116 former deputy commissioners and superintendents of police who served during the 11th parliamentary elections.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
