After years of being denied promotions, Secretariat officials and employees affiliated with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have begun mobilizing following the fall of the Awami League regime, demanding immediate promotions, citing prolonged discrimination under the previous administration.
On Wednesday, officials supporting the BNP and Jamaat, deprived of promotions for years, gathered at the Secretariat.
Similar gatherings occurred earlier on Tuesday, where the disgruntled employees held meetings.
The Ministry of Public Administration’s library hosted these gatherings, with around 200 current and retired officials in attendance.
During the decade and a half rule of the Awami League, many officials and employees with differing political views were denied promotions, they said. Following the fall of Hasina, these officials started to voice their grievances.
Meetings held on Tuesday and Wednesday saw significant participation from promotion-deprived officials. Anonymously speaking to UNB, several officials expressed their frustrations saying despite their qualifications, they were denied promotions simply because of their political affiliations.
One official noted: “In the last term, the Awami League government promoted officials to deputy secretary, joint secretary, additional secretary, and secretary positions, but anyone with BNP-Jamaat ties was excluded.”
Another official highlighted systemic bias, saying: “Since coming to power in 2009, the Awami League government sidelined BNP-Jamaat identified officials from significant roles, often making them OSDs (Officers on Special Duty) and blocking their promotions.”
Visits to the Secretariat on Tuesday and Wednesday confirmed the presence of BNP-Jamaat affiliated officials gathering at various departments, including the Ministry of Public Administration and the Cabinet Division. The usually bustling ministerial rooms were notably empty, with nameplates removed and a tense atmosphere prevailing.
Security was tight, with army personnel on duty, replacing the usual police presence. Many Awami League-affiliated officials were absent, while BNP supporters distributed sweets and organized discussions.
At 12pm on Wednesday, about 100 promotion-deprived employees convened in the Ministry of Public Administration’s library, creating a list of those denied promotions. They attempted to meet Joint Secretary (Administration) Ripon Chakma, chanting slogans when they couldn’t find him.
ABM Al Amin, the leader of the promotion-deprived employees, told UNB: “We demand our promotions be granted today. During the Awami League government, many who joined later were promoted before us, pushing us down the seniority list. We have faced discrimination for too long.”
