Staff Correspondent

A written complaint has been lodged with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking an inquiry into alleged irregularities, abuse of power, misinterpretation of court directives, and financial transactions surrounding the recruitment of 863 khalasis (laborers) in Bangladesh Railway.

The complaint was submitted on August 6 to the ACC Chairman by Md Humayun, representative of M/S Jannat Consortium and a first-class contractor of Bangladesh Railway.

The written petition requested a comprehensive investigation into the entire recruitment process of the 863 khalasi positions and demanded legal action against those involved in the alleged corruption.

According to the complaint, Bangladesh Railway issued a recruitment circular for 863 khalasis in 2013. Under the designated 311 seats allocated for the dependents' quota (poshya quota), 309 candidates were recruited, while two posts remained vacant due to a lack of eligible applicants. Subsequently, several deprived job seekers moved the court, leading to multi-stage legal proceedings.

Although the court instructed the authorities to appoint the applicants by maintaining the dependents' quota, 66 individuals were later appointed by misinterpreting the judicial directives. The petitioner urged the graft watchdog to verify the extent to which these appointments aligned with the court's verdict.

The complaint further highlighted that a three-member scrutiny committee, formed to implement the court directives, reviewed the records of 132 writ petitioners and found only 24 to be authentic.

The committee’s verification report identified 42 fake writ petitioners. Additionally, 14 applicants failed the recruitment test, six did not sit for the exam, 11 had not applied under the dependents' quota, and 33 failed to appear before the scrutiny committee.

Raising questions over the process, the complainant asked on what legal grounds and authority 66 candidates were appointed despite such negative findings in the scrutiny report, urging the ACC's intervention for a detailed probe.

The complaint also called into question the role of an unauthorized organization named the "Bangladesh Railway Poshya Society." The complainant alleged that despite lacking formal approval from the Ministry of Railways or Bangladesh Railway, the organization has been operating various activities, taking financial benefits from job seekers, and influencing the recruitment process by presenting court orders according to their convenience.

Furthermore, the petition questioned the legality of issuing appointment letters while a review petition against the Appellate Division's order remains pending before the court.

Apart from Bangladesh Railway Director General (DG) Md Afzal Hossain, the complaint named three others: Md Moniruzzaman, President of Bangladesh Railway Poshya Society; Delwar Hossain Bappi, Station Announcer at the New Railway Station; and Md Al Mahmud, Law Officer of the Eastern Zone.

Speaking on the matter, complainant Md Humayun said, "An impartial investigation is essential to unearth the truth regarding the irregularities and anomalies surfaced in the recruitment process. The complaint was lodged with the ACC to reveal the actual facts and ensure legal action against the culprits."

When contacted, Muhammad Rezaul Kabir, Director General (Inquiry and Investigation-1) at the ACC headquarters, stated that necessary measures would be taken after reviewing the matter once the complaint reaches the designated department.

Attempts were made to reach Bangladesh Railway DG Md Afzal Hossain over the phone multiple times for comments regarding the allegations, but he could not be reached. Text messages sent to his phone also went unanswered.