Calls grow to curb fascist regime’s grip on BAEC
Staff Reporter :
Allegations have surfaced that individuals linked to the previous authoritarian regime remain entrenched within the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), raising questions about governance and integrity in one of the country’s most sensitive institutions.
According to several scientists, officers, and employees, a long history of discrimination and marginalisation persists due to the dominance of these figures. Critics claim that senior positions continue to be occupied by individuals with political ties to the former government, including relatives of Sheikh Hasina’s late husband, Dr Wazed Miah. It is alleged that some of these officials are still engaged in activities detrimental to the state’s interests.
Sources point to the “Bangabandhu Atomic Scientists Council”, an internal group accused of leveraging political influence over the past 16 years for personal and organisational gain.
Reported activities include irregular recruitment, project fund mismanagement, and securing illegal benefits. During this period, the Council allegedly sidelined the commission’s recognised professional body, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Scientists Association (BAESA), rendering it inactive for nearly eight years.
Following last year’s student- and public-led uprising, the Council’s influence appeared to wane temporarily. However, many of its senior figures reportedly remain in key posts, enabling their continued influence. Observers allege that the current acting chairman, Dr Md Kamrul Huda, has been a long-standing associate of the Council and is perceived as accommodating its members.
Several appointments have raised concerns. Former Council member Dr Debashish Pal, previously Director General of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, was recently made Member (Physical Sciences). Another Council figure, Dr Md Khairul Islam, now leads the Physical Sciences Division and serves as convener for at least five committees; his name has also been put forward for Member (Physical Sciences).
Dr Fazlul Bari, a former organising secretary of the Council, is now Director of NINMAS. Allegations against him include selling unauthorised medical certificates and tax evasion. His recruitment has reportedly contravened BAEC service regulations. Principal Scientific Officer Dr A.N.K. Mamun, also a former Council official, was recently appointed Director of the Institute of Food and Radiation Biology.
Other senior officials facing scrutiny include Council president Dr Asaduzzaman, overseeing an Asian Development Bank project alleged to have corruption issues, and Dr Manjur Ahsan, project director of an estimated Tk 800 crore programme from the previous regime. Despite an Anti-Corruption Commission case and a court-imposed travel ban, Dr Ahsan remains in post.
A key figure in the Council’s formation, Chief Scientific Officer Dr A.F.M. Mizanur Rahman -nephew of Dr Wazed Miah – was instrumental in rendering BAESA inactive. Leveraging family ties, he held senior roles in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, where audit reports identified financial irregularities. Although removed from that role, he continues to draw a salary without active duties. Dr Mizan and Dr Asaduzzaman are also accused of using government vehicles for personal purposes over 16 years, allegedly costing the state millions of taka.
While other state institutions have moved to remove associates of the former regime, BAEC appears to be an exception, prompting calls for stronger oversight to safeguard the integrity of Bangladesh’s nuclear and energy sector governance.