In a bizarre and dramatic twist, Deputy Secretary Saiful Hasan who was not present at the scene of scuffle at the Secretariat over the appointment of deputy commissioners (DCs) has been implicated in the incident.
Saiful Hasan filed an application to the Ministry of Public Administration seeking solution to this matter. He accused his colleague Saiful Islam of intentionally framing him by using his (Saiful Hasan) name and ID.
Saiful Islam, also a Deputy Secretary whose ID number is 15806, previously served as a director at Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) and implicated Saiful Hasan in the incident, according to Saiful Hasan.
The scuffle occurred at the Secretariat on September 11 amid dissatisfaction among ministry officials over the recent DC appointments. Witnesses termed the incident unprecedented in the history of public administration in Bangladesh.
An investigation committee held 17 officials responsible for the incident. Fifteen male and two female officials, who are all deputy secretaries, face disciplinary action.
Sources said Saiful Islam, who had long been vying for promotion to DC, was unhappy when the current interim government did not appoint him to the position. He was reportedly present at the protests in the Ministry of Public Administration alongside other frustrated colleagues.
Saiful Islam was identified through video footage. Upon being summoned by the discipline committee, he allegedly gave a false identity using Saiful Hasan’s name and ID, which led to Saiful Hasan becoming the target of punishment.
Saiful Hasan has since formally appealed to the Public Administration Secretary, demanding a resolution to the matter. In his written appeal to the Senior Secretary of the Health Services Division, Saiful Hasan called for identifying the actual culprits involved in the altercation and his exoneration from thecharges. Hasan wrote, “I, Md Saiful Hasan, ID number 15701, Deputy Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division, learned from a news report on October 2 that 17 deputy secretaries were recommended for disciplinary action over the September 11 incident. Among them, my name, Md Saiful Hasan, was wrongly mentioned. This is a matter of great concern for me.”
In his letter, Saiful Hasan explained that he was not present at the scene and was busy with official duties elsewhere at that time. He said he was never called to testify verbally or in writing during the investigation.
“A simple analysis of the video footage (screenshots attached) will confirm that a different official with a similar name, Saiful Islam, was present and gave testimony to the investigators. I do not appear in the video,” he clarified.
Saiful Hasan believed that his name was mistakenly recorded instead of his colleague Saiful Islam, who was involved in the incident. He requested the authorities to correct the error and identify the real offender.
In an interview with the Bangladesh Post, Saiful Hasan expressed his resentment for being wrongly implicated.
On the other hand, Deputy Secretary Saiful Islam denied using anyone else’s name in his defence. He told the Bangladesh Post, “There’s no question using someone else’s identity. I have records of my testimony to the probe body. It’s absurd to think I would frame someone else.”
Saiful Islam went on to accuse the investigation process of bias, suggesting that he and others were targeted for merely raising voice for their rights. He claimed that the investigating officer is himself one of the accused. “Why were 17 people accused of this incident? Was it for demanding justice?” he questioned.
“I believe everyone should have been present in this movement. Women were disrespected during the investigation process. Neither the formation of the committee nor the subsequent investigation was fair. Saiful Hasan has been a beneficiary of the previous government, and without proper knowledge, he has accused me of the incident,” he added.
