Railways scam that left a mark

Just after assuming the post of railways minister, Suranjit had declared to wipe out corruption from the ministry. Five months into his office, Suranjit’s assistant personal secretary Omar Faruq Talukder was arrested with piles of cash worth Tk70 lakh, allegedly collected as bribes for recruitment of railway personnel. General manager of railway’s east zone at the time, Yusuf Ali Mridha and railway’s then commandant of Dhaka division Enamul Haque were also apprehended with Suranjit’s secretary. The arrestees were reportedly taking the money to Suranjit’s Zigatola residence in a car. Subsequently, all three were suspended. After that scandalous event, Suranjit faced severe, widespread criticism, many opposition leaders called for his resignation. At a press conference following the scandal, Suranjit claimed that he was not aware of the incident taking place, further remarking that the money could have belonged to someone else. On April 16, 2012, Suranjit resigned from his post, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did not accept his resignation and allowed him to stay on as a minister without a portfolio. Later on, the Anti-Corruption Commission cleared Suranjit after investigating the incident. Since then, Suranjit remained as a minister without portfolio, but voiced his concern over mismanagement and corruption of the government, and violent politics of the BNP-Jamaat alliance.