Many job seekers—including those selected for BCS cadres—are facing non-transparent procedures at crucial stages of final recruitment or foundation training for government jobs. Some are being dismissed without any explanation.
Others are having their appointments blocked because of negative reports from the police or security agencies. Recent incidents of this kind have raised questions about the transparency of the government recruitment process and have created frustration and fear among job seekers.
Dismissal without cause: Questionable government recruitment
Incidents of dismissal without explanation at the final stage of government recruitment have raised serious concerns about administrative transparency. Recently, the public administration ministry dismissed three trainee assistant commissioners undergoing foundation training in the administration cadre of the 43rd BCS. The dismissed individuals are Kazi Arifur Rahman, Anup Kumar Biswas, and Nabomita Sarker.
According to the notice, their appointments were cancelled under Rule 6(2)(a) of the Bangladesh Civil Service Recruitment Rules, 1981. Under this rule, the appointment of an officer can be cancelled without PSC consultation if the officer is deemed “unfit to remain in service” during the probation period. However, the notice did not specify any reasons for declaring the three assistant commissioners unfit.
Kazi Arifur Rahman, one of the dismissed officers, ranked first in the railway cadre of the 41st BCS and 30th in the administration cadre of the 43rd BCS.
It should be remembered that the relationship between the state and government employees is not that of master and servant. One cannot dismiss someone at will. Incidents like this will create instability in the administration. In my experience, if such cases go to court, the dismissal orders will not stand.Former additional secretary Mohammad Firoz Mia
He told Prothom Alo, “I and my family have been completely devastated emotionally because they dismissed me without mentioning any reason.”
He stated, “As a junior officer of the republic, I worked for 11 months at the Faridpur district administration. Even during that period, there were no complaints against me. Before this, after passing the 41st BCS, I had also served in the railway cadre.”
Social media reacts to the dismissals, what Sarjis Alam said
Beyond these three candidates from the 43rd BCS, the current government has also dismissed two candidates from the Foreign Service cadre, two from the Audit and Accounts cadre, two from the General Education cadre, and four from the Police cadre while they were still undergoing training.
This has generated mixed reactions on social media.
Sarjis Alam, the chief organiser for the northern region of the National Citizen Party (NCP), posted a long statement on his verified Facebook page about the matter.
Expressing anger over the dismissal of Kazi Arifur Rahman, Sarjis Alam wrote on Facebook that Arifur Rahman was the president of the Amar Ekushey Hall Debating Club at Dhaka University. He was a President’s Scout, a recipient of the Provost Award from his hall, and a champion in recitation at Dhaka University.
He had never been accused of wrongdoing or misconduct. To most students of Amar Ekushey Hall, he was a “role model” and one of the best residential students.
Sarjis Alam further mentioned in his post, “What has happened to him (Arifur Rahman) is clearly unjust. It would have been different if he had engaged in any unprofessional behaviour that compromised state security or national interests.” He questioned the exclusion of such talented candidates.
When contacted on 26 November 2025 for comment, the office of Senior Secretary Md Ehsanul Haque of the Ministry of Public Administration said that he was in a meeting. Later attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful. Following the advice of Public Relations Officer Mansur Hossain, questions were sent to the secretary via WhatsApp, but no reply has been received as of the time of writing this report.
Allegations of non-transparency at Petrobangla
Outside the BCS cadres, similar allegations of non-transparent practices have arisen in the integrated recruitment process of Petrobangla and its subsidiary companies. After successfully completing all stages, 15 candidates were excluded from the final list.
Expressing his frustration, one of the rejected candidates told Prothom Alo, “I quit my previous job hoping for this one. I have also reached the upper age limit for government jobs. Now my family and I are in serious trouble. My parents are sick, and I don’t even have money to buy medicine.”
Regarding the matter, Petrobangla’s Director (Administration), SM Mahbub Alam, told Prothom Alo that candidates are dropped if they fail to pass any stage of the recruitment process. He added that reasons for non-selection are not formally explained when the final appointment is not made. Job seekers feel that such actions not only cause financial loss to qualified candidates but also undermine the general public’s trust in the government recruitment process.
Talented candidates’ futures blocked by police verification
Even after passing highly competitive examinations, many qualified candidates are being denied final appointment because of negative reports from the police or security agencies. This problem has persisted for years. The interim government earned praise in 2024 when, on 14 August, it appointed 259 candidates from the 28th to 42nd BCS batches who had previously been excluded on this ground.
However, job seekers say that complications surrounding police verification have still not been fully resolved. Due to prolonged delays, many appointments remain stuck. Candidates allege that excluding PSC-recommended individuals based on political identity during verification is a violation of Articles 28 and 29 of the Constitution. Although the Constitution guarantees equality of rights and opportunities for citizens, this is not being upheld in recruitment. In practice, verification includes not only the candidate’s criminal record but also the political identity of their family, which often becomes the main reason for negative reports.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on the matter, public administration expert and former additional secretary Mohammad Firoz Mia said, “It is undesirable to dismiss anyone during training without issuing a show-cause notice. Such incidents are extremely rare in Bangladesh’s history. If someone commits serious misconduct during training, departmental proceedings may be initiated. But dismissal without cause is inconsistent with Article 135 of the Constitution.”
Mohammad Firoz Mia further added, “It should be remembered that the relationship between the state and government employees is not that of master and servant. One cannot dismiss someone at will. Incidents like this will create instability in the administration. In my experience, if such cases go to court, the dismissal orders will not stand.”