Special Correspondent :
In a major development, the Deputy Commissioners of Barisal and Barguna Gazi Md Shafiuzzman and Md Bashirul Alam have withdrawn and made Officers on Special Duty at Public Administration Ministry.
According to the Cabinet Division, Md Habibur Rahman, private secretary to the State Minister for Social Welfare, will replace Gazi Md Shafiuzzman. Besides, Chief Executive Officer of Pabna Zila Parishad Md Mokhlesur Rahman will replace Md Bashirul Alam.
At the same time, the government has also decided to take action against the then Divisional Commissioner of Barisal, if his “negligence” is proved in arresting and harassing of Barguna Sadar UNO Gazi Tarique Salman. Against this backdrop, the government on Monday formed a high-profile probe committee headed by an additional secretary of the Cabinet Division to look into the incident in which a case was filed against Barguna UNO over “distortion” of Bangabandhu’s portrait.
The five-member committee has been formed comprising the officials of the Law Ministry, Public Security Division of the Home Ministry, Public Administration Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office. It will submit report within next fifteen days, Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam said on Monday.
“Primary investigation has found no fault of the UNO. The committee will find out the role of the then Barisal Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Barisal who earlier reported against UNO to the Cabinet Division for departmental action,” the Cabinet Secretary told newsmen after weekly cabinet meeting yesterday.
Answering to a question, Md Shafiul Alam said, “The letter of then Barisal Divisional Commissioner [asking to take action against UNO] has already been documented after being dismissed.”
Replying to another query, he said, “We’re looking whether there is any negligence of Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in this regard. It there is any fault of them, the Public Administration Ministry will take action in this regard.”
Barisal Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court sent UNO Salman to court custody after he surrendered before it in compliance with its order and sought bail in the case on July 19.
The UNO was granted bail on a bond of Tk 10,000, around two hours after he was sent to the custody.
The high-ups of the government have expressed severe discontent following a Tk 5 crore defamation case against an UNO by an overenthusiastic ruling party leader for printing Bangabandhu’s portrait on the Independence Day invitation card.
In another development, six policemen who were on duty on the court premises, when UNO was sent to jail in a defamation case, were withdrawn on Sunday to the District Police Lines by Barisal Metropolitan Police [BMP].
In this situation, the Awami League central committee suspended the plaintiff of the case Obaidullah Saju, Religious Affairs Secretary of Barisal district and also President of Barisal Bar Council. The government still doubts that it might be a ‘conspiracy’ to create an abnormal situation among the civil servants.
A class-V student of Srimoti Matree Mongal Girls School at Agailjhara Sadar named Adrita Kar, 11, got second prize for the painting in the competition held on Bangbandhu’s birth anniversary on March 17 last year.
Later, the painting was used by the UNO Salman in the invitation cards of Independence Day on March 26 the same year.
The case was lodged with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s [CMM] Court in June. Prior to that, the UNO was transferred to Barguna Sadar from Agailjhara upazila after district administration took departmental action against him
