Panchagarh:The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken disciplinary action against two senior public officials due to allegations of corruption, financial irregularities, and document forgery.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, former jailor of Panchagarh District Jail, Md. Abdul Fattah, has been dismissed from service after being accused of embezzling Taka 1.33 crore from prison food supply funds. In a separate case, Dr. Dulal Krishna Saha, chief chemical examiner of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), has been compulsorily retired for allegedly making fraudulent travel allowance claims amounting to Taka 3.15 lakh.
Both decisions were made following departmental inquiries and recommendations from the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC), under the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018. Investigations revealed Fattah's involvement in irregularities linked to 37 allegedly fraudulent bills under three supplier names Baba Mayer Doya, Nur Store, and Shuvo S-Mill. Evidence showed he submitted inflated food ration requisitions and bypassed procurement and payment procedures, despite low inmate numbers.
In Fattah's case, it was found that Taka 1,33,20,000 was involved in these irregular transactions. The funds were deposited through 39 treasury challans at Sonali Bank's Panchagarh branch, including Taka 80 lakh deposited personally by Fattah. As a result, the Ministry initiated Departmental Case No. 12/2025 against him for misconduct and corruption, leading to his dismissal following the inquiry and BPSC's concurrence on September 27, 2026.
In the case of Dr. Saha, the investigation concluded that he allegedly used forged court summonses and witness attendance certificates to claim travel allowances without attending the relevant proceedings. He was also accused of falsifying travel itineraries and forging signatures to bypass necessary departmental approvals. These irregularities spanned from June 2000 to January 2023, involving air travel claims without proper administrative entitlement. Consequently, the Ministry brought Departmental Case No. 14/2025 against him, resulting in compulsory retirement as recommended by the BPSC.
These actions emphasize the government's disciplinary measures against alleged corruption involving public funds in distinct departments, highlighting the importance of departmental investigations and BPSC's role in determining penalties for public servants.