Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Yusuf Ali has been removed from his post after a video showing him attempting to embrace the prime minister went viral on social media.
In a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Tuesday night, Yusuf Ali was reassigned to the ministry as an attached additional secretary.
The notification said Yusuf Ali, who was serving as Rajshahi divisional commissioner, had been relieved of his current duties and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration as an additional secretary. The order, issued in the public interest, took effect immediately.
However, no administration official has commented on the reassignment, and the ministry has not clarified whether it was linked to the incident involving the prime minister.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, senior administrative officials and other dignitaries gathered at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi to see off the prime minister. A video recorded during the occasion shows Yusuf Ali reaching towards her and attempting to embrace her with one arm.
The video subsequently circulated on Facebook, prompting widespread discussion on social media. Within hours, the Ministry of Public Administration issued the notification regarding his reassignment.
According to several sources, Yusuf Ali relinquished his duties at around 11pm on Tuesday before leaving for Dhaka.
He took over as Rajshahi divisional commissioner last August. Before that, he served as a member-director of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
As divisional commissioner, he was responsible for coordinating administrative activities across the division's eight districts, overseeing development projects and ensuring the implementation of government directives.
It remains unclear who will be appointed as the next divisional commissioner of Rajshahi.