A Jhalakathi Sadar upazila parishad staffer has been suspended following a comment on social media about Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.
The suspension of SM Moniruzzaman, a shorthand typist and computer operator, came on Monday evening. Moniruzzaman also held the position of confidential assistant (CA) to the upazila parishad chairman.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Farhana Yasmin confirmed the matter.
“Moniruzzaman commented on a news link shared on Prothom Alo’s Facebook page, writing, 'Earlier, there was a possibility of going to jail, now the death penalty is certain (if he stays alive in Bangladesh).' This is inappropriate for a government employee to post publicly. Following the incident, he was suspended," she said.
Attempts to contact Moniruzzaman over the phone were unsuccessful.
Reports suggest that on October 6, the daily Prothom Alo published an interview with the headline “I took the oath at Bangabhaban instead of going to jail: Dr Yunus.” The newspaper posted it on its Facebook page, where Moniruzzaman commented, "Earlier, there was a possibility of going to jail, now the death penalty is certain (if he stays alive in Bangladesh)."
When this came to the attention of Deputy Commissioner Ashraful Rahman, he instructed the UNO to suspend Moniruzzaman.
Local sources said Moniruzzaman had previously served as publicity secretary of the Jhalakathi unit of the Chhatra League and held various positions in the party.
Since the ouster of the Awami League government, he had been posting negative comments on social media about leaders of different political parties, they added.
