Awami League Loyalists Entrusted With Maintaining the Prime Minister’s Residence

Officials allegedly affiliated with the Awami League have been assigned to maintain the prime minister’s residence and other key state installations, raising questions about the BNP government’s transfer and posting of engineers in the Public Works Department (PWD).

The postings have sparked allegations of political influence, manipulation of grading sheets and illegal transactions worth Tk 120 crore in the name of a lottery. Critics have questioned why officials allegedly linked to the former ruling party have been placed in charge of sensitive government installations seven months after the BNP government took office.

During the Awami League government, officials affiliated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League allegedly dominated key government posts. Over the past 17 years, BNP- and Jamaat-affiliated executive engineers were reportedly not posted to the residences of the prime minister and ministers or nearby offices.

Former Housing and Public Works Secretary Nazrul Islam allegedly devised the plan for the recent postings, while Supervising Engineer (Establishment) Muhammad Sarwar Jahan prepared the list. The housing and public works minister under the BNP government allegedly implemented it.

Instead of considering seniority, experience, competence, integrity and annual confidential reports (ACRs), engineers were reportedly divided into five categories and assigned to important posts based on influence and personal preferences.

There are also allegations that officials from the ousted government are using political connections and financial inducements to secure postings at key state installations ahead of December. The prime minister’s and ministers’ residences and other sensitive installations are among the locations in question.

An alleged relative of former Awami League minister Amir Hossain Amu and a former BUET Chhatra League leader have reportedly been posted to Dhaka Public Works Division-2. The division handles maintenance and repair work at the Prime Minister’s Office and the July Uprising Museum. Security and public policy analysts have expressed concern over the postings.

The housing and public works minister reportedly instructed the PWD chief engineer to transfer several engineers, but the instructions were not followed. Instead, officials allegedly linked to the former Awami League government remained in influential positions. Critics claim the lottery-based process has reinstated around 1,000 officials associated with the former government.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJAN), told Daily Inqilab that assigning officials allegedly linked to the Awami League to maintain key state installations including the residences of the prime minister, president, DGFI chief and ministers, could have serious consequences. He urged the government to investigate the matter, describing the posting of officials allegedly linked to the former ruling party to key PWD offices in Dhaka as dangerous.

Housing and Public Works Secretary Obaidur Rahman said the matter had been referred to the officials concerned. He added that the allegations would be investigated and action taken if warranted.

The engineers were reportedly divided into five categories: A-plus, A, B, C and D, but the criteria, evaluation method and approval documents were not made public. Allegations suggest that the lottery was influenced by placing names in separate boxes and manipulating the process. Officials had allegedly been selected in advance for four or five key divisions in Dhaka.

Calls have been made for investigations into the categorisation and postings of executive engineers ANM Mazharul Islam, Md Ziaur Rahman, Reza Taimur Malik, Masum Billah and Rashed Ahsan. Complainants alleged that grading sheets were altered before the lottery to secure important Dhaka postings for certain officials. They also called for scrutiny of the roles of Additional Secretary Sarwar Alam, Supervising Engineer Sarwar Jahan and officials in the establishment wing.

ANM Mazharul Islam allegedly secured important assignments, including Dhaka Public Works Division-3, the railway division and Project Division-5, through his links with the former housing and public works minister and influential Awami League leaders. The complaint also alleged that he was involved in Chhatra League politics while studying civil engineering at BUET from 2000 to 2005. Investigators have been urged to determine whether these connections influenced his postings.

Md Ziaur Rahman was posted to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Public Works Division-1 after serving in Establishment-2. Questions have been raised about his posting to a division responsible for important installations, including the parliament building and MP hostels.

Masum Billah, an alleged relative of Amir Hossain Amu and a former BUET Chhatra League leader, has been assigned to Dhaka Public Works Division-2. The complaint alleges that he secured his first posting in the Urban Public Works Division by falsely claiming eligibility under the freedom fighter quota and using his family connection to Amu.

Nearly 1,500 engineers were transferred within a month, including 767 sub-assistant engineers (civil), 254 sub-assistant engineers (electromechanical), 200 assistant engineers, 219 sub-divisional engineers and 120 executive engineers. Questions have been raised about postings at sensitive locations, including the parliament building, MP hostels, installations associated with the prime minister’s residence, the NSI and ACC headquarters, and Dhaka Medical College.

The complainants have urged the authorities to investigate whether political considerations surrounding December, alleged political financing and the posting of officials linked to the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League are connected. They have called for scrutiny of the grading criteria, lottery records, evaluation committee minutes, final posting orders and financial documents.

Other PWD officials have also faced allegations. Masud Rana has been accused of using political influence to secure preferred postings and amassing illicit assets worth nearly Tk 100 crore, including flats, houses, plots, shops, land, gold and cash. Complaints submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) allegedly accused him of preparing inflated project estimates, leaking confidential tender information and influencing contractor selection in exchange for commissions while serving in Dhaka Public Works Divisions-3 and -4. Questions have also been raised about the progress of investigations into these allegations.

Rajibul Islam reportedly returned to Dhaka Public Works Division-1 after serving there and at other important workplaces. Calls have been made to examine his posting history and compliance with transfer rules.

Reza Taimur Malik was selected through the lottery to serve as executive engineer in the Dhaka Maintenance Division. Questions have been raised about whether the required security checks were conducted before assigning him responsibility for installations including the NSI and ACC headquarters and facilities associated with the prime minister’s residence. His father, Md Rezaul Haque Malik, also known as Mukul, was reportedly a former president of the Chuadanga district Jubo League.

Rashed Ahsan is alleged to be close to former minister Sharif Ahmed. Investigators have been urged to determine whether influence played a role in his postings in Mirpur and, more recently, in an area associated with Azimpur.

Questions have also been raised about why Shamsunnahar Jhuma was selected for a post associated with Purtabhaban while other officials of the same rank were excluded. The complainants said several officials of the same rank were also left out of the lottery despite Libni Zaman’s posting to Habiganj.

A syndicate involving ministry officials, the PWD chief engineer, senior engineers in charge of establishment and some executive engineers has been accused of illegally earning around Tk 120 crore through the transfer process. The complainants have called for investigations into the officials’ tax records, bank accounts, asset declarations and properties held by their close relatives.

Public policy analyst Professor Dilara Chowdhury told Daily Inqilab that she believed Tarique Rahman and his family were the only ones facing a possible threat to their lives. She argued that those who approved the postings had done so knowingly and suggested that their relationships with the Awami League should be examined. She described the postings and related activities as planned.

PWD Chief Engineer Md Khalequzzaman Chowdhury told Daily Inqilab that the ministry, not the department, had conducted the transfer lottery. He added that the ministry could review the transfers and verify the officials again.