In a probable move, the government is in the process of a massive reshuffle in the civil and police administration at the field-level, with an eye on the upcoming general elections scheduled for January 2014.
According to civil and police administration sources, at least 23 deputy commissioners (DC) from the civil administration were already posted to different districts, along with 53 superintendents and deputy commissioners of police. Of them, 11 civil administration DCs and 53 SPs and DCPs were transferred in this month alone.
According to the public administration ministry, DCs of Comilla, Sylhet, Meherpur, Panchagarh, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Jhenaidah, Mymensingh, Chapai Nawabganj, Bogra and Rajshahi were also transferred this month.
The government, last Monday, transferred 69 senior officials of the police administration, including a deputy inspector general (DIG) and 18 additional DIGs, 50 SPs and similarly ranked officers to different units in various areas.
They plan to post individuals favoured to the lower-tiers such as additional deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers’ posts. Additional superintendents, assistant superintendents and officer-in-charges of the police administration are also to experience a reshuffle.
However, Senior Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry Abdus Sobhan Sikdar rejected the notion. He told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday: “All the transfers were regular due transfers and not a reshuffle based on the upcoming elections.”
“The government has no plans to reshuffle the field administration as all officers will have to discharge their duties according to the order of the Election Commission (EC),” he clarified further.
“We are changing the duties of the officers, who are working for at least two years in the same place, according to the charters of the public administration ministry and more officers will be replaced for the same reason in the future,” he added.
In September last year, 20 chief district administrators were withdrawn and replaced by new district DCs. Most of the withdrawn DCs were joint secretary level officials, who were promoted while on duty.
In October and November, the government transferred the DCs of Gaibandha, Habiganj, Jhalkathi, Rajbari, Bagerhat, Moulvibazar, Munsiganj, Faridpur, Naogaon, Chiitagong and Brahmanbaria.
But the Joint Secretary at the home ministry Nazim Uddin Chowdhury echoed Sobhan’s views. He said: “Some of the officers was promoted during their assignments, so they were transferred accordingly.”
When asked if the transfers had any relation to the current political situation, Nazim said: “Although the transfers were a part of routine work, we did consider everything including the recent incidents of vandalism before the orders were issued.”
