66 admin, police officers set to retire

The government has decided in principle to compulsorily retire at least 66 senior officials from the administration and police cadres under a legal provision that allows retirement after 25 years of public service, according to officials familiar with the process.

Those set to be affected include 33 police officers, ranging from Superintendent of Police (SP) to Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and 33 administration cadre officers, most of whom served as District Commissioners (DCs) during the 2018 general election and were later promoted to Joint Secretary.
Officials at the Ministries of Home Affairs and Public Administration said the required legal procedures are being completed before formal notifications are issued.

The officers belong to the 20th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) batch and joined government service on 31 May 2001.

They completed 25 years of service on 30 May this year, making them eligible for compulsory retirement under Section 45 of the Government Service Act, 2018. The provision authorises the government to retire public servants in the public interest after 25 years of service without assigning a reason.

According to officials, the decision primarily concerns officers who held key administrative and policing responsibilities during the 2018 eleventh parliamentary election widely known as midnight election.

Many of them have remained as Officers on Special Duty (OSD) or have been attached to training institutions and other organisations since the political transition.

The move follows earlier administrative measures taken after the change of government. Last year, the interim administration compulsorily retired 22 former District Commissioners who had served during the 2014 national election.

Around the same time, then Local Government, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said police superintendents who had overseen districts during the 2018 election would also face compulsory retirement.

Shortly afterwards, the Home Ministry simultaneously designated 60 serving SPs as OSD. More than a year later, officials said the government has now taken a policy decision to permanently remove those who have completed the required length of service.

Sources in the two ministries said former DCs and SPs associated with the 2018 election have remained sidelined for over a year, and their completion of 25 years in service has enabled the government to proceed under the existing legal framework.

During the 2018 election, at least 29 of the country’s 64 districts were headed by SPs from the 20th BCS batch. Four additional officers from the same batch, who were serving at police headquarters or other key units at the time, have also been included in the proposed list.

Among the police officers named are former Dhaka SP Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman, former Narayanganj SP Md Harun Or Rashid, former Cumilla SP Syed Nurul Islam, former Chandpur SP Jihadul Kabir, former Narsingdi SP Miraj Uddin Ahmed, former Chittagong SP Nure Alam Mina, former Gazipur SP Dr Shamsunnahar, former Kishoreganj SP Mashrukur Rahman Khaled, former Noakhali SP Ilias Sharif and several others who later served as DIGs, Additional DIGs or in specialised police units before being made OSD or attached elsewhere.

The administration cadre list comprises 33 former District Commissioners of the 20th BCS batch who served as Returning Officers during the 2018 election and were subsequently promoted to Joint Secretary.

They include former Chandpur DC Md Mazedur Rahman Khan, Patuakhali’s Md Motiul Islam Chowdhury, Panchagarh’s Sabina Yasmin, Meherpur’s Dr Ataul Gani, Pirojpur’s Abu Ali Md Sazzad Hossain, Satkhira’s S.M. Mostafa Kamal, Lakshmipur’s Anjan Chandra Paul, Kurigram’s Mosa. Sultana Parvin, Khulna’s Md Helal Hossain and several others who have remained OSD since February last year.

Officials said the final notifications will be issued once the legal formalities are completed, marking one of the largest uses of the compulsory retirement provision in recent years as part of the government’s broader administrative reform efforts.