Nazim Uddin, the former Revenue Deputy Collector (RDC) of the Kurigram district administration, who is accused of torturing local journalist Ariful Islam Regan by breaking into his home at midnight in 2020, has been removed from his post as Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Itna, Kishoreganj.
He has now been reassigned to the Ministry of Commerce as the Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Competition Commission.
This decision was announced in a notification signed by Mohammad Mamun Shibli, senior assistant secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration. Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Md Sabirul Islam confirmed the news.
Earlier, on Saturday, Nazim Uddin had been appointed as the UNO of Itna in Kishoreganj and was directed to assume his new role on Sunday. However, after media reports highlighted the allegations against him, the Ministry of Public Administration decided to withdraw him from the position.
Legal experts have criticized the appointment, deeming it illegal to appoint an accused fugitive as a UNO, arguing that such a decision amounts to contempt of court.
On March 13, 2020, several magistrates and Ansar members forcibly entered journalist Ariful Islam's home by breaking down his bedroom door. This occurred after he published an article about the naming of a government pond after the then Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram, Sultana Parveen.
Ariful was beaten as he was taken to a vehicle and later to the banks of the Dharla River, where he was threatened. He was subsequently taken to the deputy commissioner's office, stripped, and tortured.
Despite being a non-smoker, Ariful was falsely accused of possessing half a bottle of alcohol and 150 grams of cannabis. He was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and fined Tk 50,000 through a mobile court held in the middle of the night. When Ariful was released on bail the following day, the entire country reacted with outrage, leading to widespread condemnation from journalist groups and human rights organizations.
In response, the Ministry of Public Administration withdrew Sultana Parveen, RDC Nazim Uddin, NDC Rahatul Islam, and Executive Magistrate Rintu Bikas Chakma from their posts and initiated departmental proceedings against them. After the allegations were substantiated, the ministry decided to suspend Sultana Parveen's increment for two years, reduce Rahatul Islam's increment by three steps, demote Nazim Uddin, and dismiss Rintu Bikash Chakma. However, all four have remained in service, protected by official immunity granted by the president.
Ariful later filed a complaint against the four officials with the Kurigram Sadar police station. On March 31, the High Court ordered a case to be filed against them on charges of attempted murder and torture. The case is currently under investigation by the Rangpur Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). In the four years since, none of the accused have surrendered to the court or sought bail. Instead, the ministry has continued to assign them to various positions, disregarding the court's order.
In protest of these postings, despite the pending criminal case, Ariful's lawyer issued a legal notice. After receiving no response, Ariful filed a writ petition with the High Court on August 23, 2021. His lawyers argue that since the four accused have not obtained bail, they remain fugitives in the eyes of the law. Despite this, one of the accused, then-NDC Rahatul Islam, was illegally posted rather than being dismissed from service.
On September 26, the High Court issued a ruling questioning why Rahatul Islam’s posting should not be declared illegal due to the ongoing criminal case. The court also questioned why the ministry should not be ordered to refrain from posting the four accused. However, the ministry did not respond to the ruling and continued to post the four accused one by one, ignoring the court's directive.
At that time, Nazim Uddin was posted as the Chief Executive Officer of Satkhira Municipality. On July 24, 2022, the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry initiated an investigation against Nazim Uddin on charges of irregularities, improper behavior with employees, threatening people with crossfires or jail terms, threatening employees with dismissal, bribery, carrying and consuming drugs in a government car, and taking unapproved holidays, based on orders from the Cabinet Division.
