Sweeping Arrest Orders Are Chasing Bureaucrats Hard

 
Police cases have been being filed against senior bureaucrats one after another since 5 August 2024 when the immediate past Awami League led government fell apart following a students-people mass upsurge and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina escaped to India on the same day. Most of the cases so far lodged against top bureaucrats are murder cases. Filing cases in countless numbers in this sweeping way has triggered panic among Secretaries and equivalent government officials for last few weeks.

A broad number of bureaucrats enjoyed immense clouts and unlawful privileges under the repressive regime led by Sheikh Hasina which lasted from 2009 to 2024. Corruption, nepotism, irregularities, abuse of power and mammoth bribery became day to day normal events in recruitment, promotions and transfers in government service under Sheikh Hasina's ruling period that continued for longer than 15 years. Most of the beneficiaries of the disorder, anarchy and violations of professional codes were certain government officials, immoral business leaders and ethically bankrupt politicians. Sheikh Hasina's misgovernance totally spoiled, criminalized and crippled state machineries including the Secretariat, financial and banking sectors, administrative units, academia all over Bangladesh and law and order forces. A big number of senior police officers have run away from Bangladesh after Awami League was ousted from power. Hundreds of police stations across the country are still working with very much limited numbers of officers and constables.

All bureaucrats did not resort to corruption or abusing power during Sheikh Hasina's tenure as Prime Minister but the mischief committed by some top officials has stigmatized the whole arena of bureaucracy far and wide. Prominent citizens have said that accusing most of the senior bureaucrats for the illegal activities by some of them is not a fair way to go about the issue. Those who really abused power and broke professional norms taking advantage of loose state mechanism should be subjected to prosecution but chasing everyone with police cases cannot be accepted.

Cases have been filed against five Principal Secretaries to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Out of them three officials have been already arrested. The rest two have gone into hiding. According to civil administrative officials, so much widespread arrest orders and cases against top government officials never happened before.

Reportedly Sheikh Hasina's former Principal Secretaries Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Abul Kalam Azad and Nojibur Rahman have been arrested in the meantime. Cases have been registered against another two Principal Secretaries Tofazzal Hossain Miah and Ahmed Kaikaus. Reliable sources have informed that Ahmed Kaikaus had moved overseas before 5 August 2024 while Tofazzal Hossain Miah has been a fugitive since the fall of Sheikh Hasina from power. It may be recalled that striking allegations of graft, money laundering, dual citizenship and exerting unauthorized influence on banks and financial institutions were reported about Abul Kalam Azad and Ahmed Kaikaus even while Sheikh Hasina was in power but no inquiry was conducted to examine the allegations that emerged about these two particular officials who were very close to Sheikh Hasina.

Two former Cabinet Secretaries have also had police cases slapped on them who are Khandaker Anwarul Islam and Kabir Bin Anwar. They have been suffering from panic about getting nabbed by law and order forces at any moment.

Confusion has come up over a case filed with the capital's Jatrabari Police Station against another Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain. Mahbub Hossain did not run away or hide after Sheikh Hasina's escape from the country on 5 August 2024. Mahbub Hossain attended his last day in office on Wednesday last week before retiring from service. But still it cannot be said for sure that he will be spared from being arrested.

Murder cases have been filed against a lot of Secretaries in connection with the killings of the demonstrators who embraced martyrdom during the Glorious July Revolution. The interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus took oath on 8 August 2024. Since then many Secretaries were made officers on special duty (OSD) and several Secretaries were forced to quit their jobs. Process is underway to file cases against these officials too, sources have stated.

Former Home Secretary Md. Jahangir Alam, Senior Secretary Aminul Islam Khan, Senior Secretary Shah Kamal and former Youth and Sports Secretary Mezbah Uddin Ahmed have been meanwhile detained by the law enforcement agencies. Police cases have been lodged against former Senior Secretary Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury, Foyez Ahmed and former Secretary Anisur Rahman.