The government has given 227 candidates of the 43rd BCS, who were included in the gazette but later excluded during the verification process, the opportunity to apply for reconsideration to regain their jobs. A notification from the public administration may give the impression that the government has shown great mercy to these 227 candidates. However, they do not want mercy, they want justice.
The fundamental question here is whether the government has the authority to remove their names after they were included in the gazette. Were there any criminal charges against them, or were they convicted in any case? If not, those whose names were once included in the gazette cannot be excluded by the government.
The notification of the public administration ministry is objectionable and conditional. It states that anyone from the 227 candidates who have been temporarily declared unsuitable can apply for reconsideration. The opportunity for reconsideration is open to all.
Many candidates who were initially included in the first gazette had already quit their previous jobs. Now, they have been excluded from the government job list. So, where will they go?
As I write this column, I can see the sorrowful faces of those who passed the BCS exams during the Awami League's tenure but were not appointed. On 8 January 2022, I wrote in the Prothom Alo post editorial about the frustration of 84 such candidates. This time, the number is 227. This is the graduation to the democratic governance.
During that time, a few candidates came to the Prothom Alo office and shared their painful experiences, saying, "Do something for us. What did we do wrong by passing the BCS exam instead of taking other jobs? Now the government is labeling us as ‘traitors.’ Can such a huge injustice be accepted?" This time too, many have shared their grief and pain over the phone.
From the 28th BCS to the 42nd BCS, many candidates recommended by the PSC were denied appointments during the Awami League's tenure. Among them, 259 were appointed by the current interim government, which is a positive step. However, while rectifying the wrongs of the previous government, another wrong was committed, which cannot be accepted.
The first question is, who declared them temporarily unsuitable? The candidates did not declare themselves eligible when the results were published. The 15 October announcement did not come from an autocratic government. It came from a government formed through the anti-discrimination movement. Before calling for reconsideration applications, the government must admit that it was not justifiable to remove anyone’s name from the gazette.
On 30 November 2020, the Public Service Commission (PSC) published the notice for the 43rd BCS. After the application process, preliminary, written, and viva exams, the PSC recommended 2,163 candidates for recruitment on 25 January 2024. After the verification process, 99 were excluded, and the public administration ministry issued the first gazette on 15 October appointing 2,064 candidates.
The gazette was issued during the interim government’s tenure. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Awami League government wrongly included those who were later excluded. This was the first notification. The second notification came on 30 December, stating that 267 candidates, including 40 absent for the health test and 227 declared temporarily unsuitable after intelligence reports, would be excluded, and 1,896 candidates would be appointed.
The government’s decision has sparked significant criticism on social media. According to Prothom Alo, nearly 200 of the excluded candidates gathered in front of the secretariat on Wednesday. After discussions with the secretary of the public administration ministry, it was announced that the 227 excluded candidates would be given an opportunity for reconsideration.
We have no comments on those who did not attend the health exam, but what was the basis for excluding the others? Were they all supporters of the Awami League? Even if they were, this decision would legitimise the Awami League’s discriminatory policies and actions. This implies that in the Awami League government, officers who oppose the party’s ideology cannot hold government jobs, while those who support the party’s ideology are eligible. Candidates who passed the BCS exams have proven their qualifications as public servants, not as supporters or opponents of any political party.
It is also reported that 71 of the excluded candidates, or 42.26 per cent, belong to Hindu and Buddhist communities. Some of them were even fighters against Sheikh Hasina's misrule. The names of at least two of them—Krishna Barman, former leader of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front at Jagannath University, and Shipon Dey, former leader of the Chhatra Union at Dhaka University—have come up in statements from the Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee.
Many minority candidates are among those recommended for appointment. However, the number of excluded candidates is concerning. This naturally raises the question: were these minorities excluded by labelling them affiliated with the Awami League?
From the 28th BCS to the 42nd BCS, many candidates recommended by the PSC were denied appointments during the Awami League's tenure. Among them, 259 were appointed by the current interim government, which is a positive step. However, while rectifying the wrongs of the previous government, another wrong was committed, which cannot be accepted.
The comments of former additional secretary of the public administration ministry, Firoz Mia, are worth noting. He said, "If someone has a criminal case, has served jail time, or is a notorious terrorist, the police will report it. If someone has fraudulently obtained a job, that should also be taken into consideration. But no one should be excluded for reasons other than criminal offenses or political reasons. This has happened in the past, and it is still happening. This should not happen, and it should stop."
Even when the High Court ordered the public administration ministry to appoint 84 BCS-qualified candidates during the Awami League government, they did not regain their jobs. The government appealed and blocked the order. This time, the government has given them the opportunity to apply for reconsideration.
This should not be a mere public show. If there are no criminal charges or recommendations missing at any stage of the exam, and if there are no unethical or unlawful benefits received, those excluded should be reinstated in the gazette. The dream of building a discrimination-free Bangladesh should not be shattered by the repetition of past discriminatory practices.
*Sohrab Hassan is joint editor at Prothom Alo and a poet
* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Rabiul Islam.