Bogra Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Samar Kumar Paul has refuted as conspiracy the allegations of irregularities, withholding files and abusive behaviour, brought against him by the Upazila Parishad chairman and its members.
"All the complaints brought against me are baseless. If there is a problem in a file, it is normal to hold it for scrutiny," UNO Samar said. "It is not clear why they are rejecting me."
Demanding the expulsion of the UNO following a thorough investigation, Upazila Parishad Chairman Abu Sufian Safiq on Monday said that the members of the council had decided not to participate in any meetings called by the "bad-tempered" UNO.
Shafiq, also the president of Awami League's Sadar Upazila unit, submitted a memorandum to the Rajshahi divisional commissioner through Deputy Commissioner Ziaul Haque on Monday afternoon, demanding immediate action against the UNO.
In the complaint, also signed by two vice chairmen and 11 members, Chairman Shafiq claimed that UNO Samar had long been behaving discourteously with him and the council staff.
"He treats everyone arbitrarily. He does not come to office in time and forces officers and employees to stay in office till late night in defiance of government decisions. He tries to gain illegal benefits by withholding official files day after day.
"The UNO calls the chairman to his office unnecessarily and also posts offensive remarks on Facebook."
Probe over torture of staff questioned
Chairman Shafiq on Monday also questioned the impartiality of the investigation committee dealing with the reported incident of torture that took place in the office room of the UNO in the evening on September 22.
UNO Samar called the night guard of the Upazila Engineering Office, Alamgir Sheikh, to his office with the help of Ansar members, and beat him up, causing injuries to a hand and two fingers. Later, he was left unconscious on the street in front of the Upazila Parishad office.
The previous day, Alamgir's wife Shahida Begum told the UNO that her husband was not maintaining any contact with her due to family conflicts.
On September 23, Additional District Magistrate Salahuddin Ahmed was asked to investigate the incident of torture.
Asked about progress, Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday afternoon said that he had started working on the issue but refused to comment on the findings. However, according to UNO Samar, night guard Alamgir told the inquiry committee that the UNO had not tortured him.
"The role of the probe body comes under question as it shared information with the UNO," said the upazila chairman.