Officials reinstated before probes concluded

The Department of Prisons has reinstated 25 officials and staff who were facing investigations over various allegations. All of them had been temporarily suspended. Staff shortages have been cited as the reason for their reinstatement. However, experts say the move sends the wrong message overall.

On 9 March, the Department of Prisons sent separate letters to all jail superintendents instructing them to allow the suspended officials and staff to rejoin duty.

Of the 25 individuals, 22 are prison guards and one is a driver. The other two are former deputy jailers—Md Monirul Hasan of Sylhet Central Jail and Md Imtiaz Zakaria of Mymensingh Central Jail. Investigations against them are ongoing in connection with various incidents.

The reinstatement letters state that many prison staff remain under suspension for various offences, leading to staff shortages and disrupting normal operations in prisons and offices. It is also noted that, during suspension, the government continues to incur significant expenditure on subsistence allowances without benefiting from their services, resulting in financial loss.

For these reasons, inspector general of prisons Brigadier General Syed Md Motaher Hossain requested that they be allowed to resume duty.

Deputy jailer Imtiaz Zakaria had been suspended following the release of three individuals from Tarakanda in Mymensingh without a bail order. The three had been in Mymensingh jail since their arrest on 23 January in a murder case and were released on 27 January.

Imtiaz Zakaria was suspended on 29 January on charges of negligence and misconduct. A departmental case was filed against him on 4 March. Before the investigation concluded, he has been reinstated and transferred to Sylhet.

Monirul Hasan, deputy jailer of Sylhet Central Jail-2, was suspended on 7 December last year. The suspension order cited evidence that he had left his workplace without permission and stayed at a hotel with a woman. A departmental case was filed against him on 14 December.

Boni Israel, a driver at Rangamati District Jail, was suspended on 8 December on charges of negligence and misconduct. From late 2024 to February 2026, 22 prison guards were suspended for various offences. They had been serving in different prisons.

Inspector general of prisons Brigadier General Motaher Hossain told Prothom Alo that those facing comparatively minor allegations had been instructed to return to duty. “They were drawing government salaries while sitting idle, so considering the staff shortage, they have been put back to work,” he said.

He added that the investigations would continue: “This does not mean they will not face consequences or that the matter is closed. They may still face departmental action after the investigation.” He also said that preliminary inquiries into these officials and staff have already been completed.

Experts say that temporary suspension is meant to remove officials from duty during investigations so they cannot influence the process. Reinstating them while investigations are ongoing undermines that purpose.

Reinstatement is appropriate if they are proven innocent after the inquiry, but doing so before the process is complete or before any punishment is enforced raises questions about the integrity of the system.

Former additional secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Firoz Mia, told Prothom Alo that such actions are often taken by exploiting weaknesses and loopholes in the law. However, he said, officials accused of unethical conduct or corruption should not be reinstated until investigations are concluded.