News Desk :
The government has removed Md Abdur Rahim from the Institute of Public Health as its director and made him an officer on special duty after he instructed Muslim employees to follow the Islamic dress code in a notice he later withdrew, reports bdnews24.com.
Uttam Kumar Barua, the director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital who faces allegations of anomaly in public purchase, has also been made an OSD in an order issued by the Health Services Division on Tuesday. Making OSD is widely seen as a punishment for public servants in Bangladesh.
Dr Tanvir Ahmed Chowdhury has been made the director of the Institute.
Dr KM Mamun Murshed, deputy director of the Suhrawardy Hospital, was made its acting director.On Oct 28, a circular by Rahim triggered a debate on social media after it stated that men must wear trousers above the ankle and women must cover themselves from head to toe in line with the Islamic dress code.
It also ordered all employees to strictly maintain ‘purdah’, or seclusion, and asked them to keep their mobile phones turned off or on silent mode.
This was met with social media backlash and an official show-cause notice later forced him to withdraw the instruction and apologise.
Uttam Barua and two other doctors face an order to explain alleged financial damage through purchase anomaly.
