The government has temporarily suspended fourteen employees of the Bangladesh Secretariat following their involvement in a protest demanding the reinstatement of the long-pending ‘Secretariat allowance’. Official notifications issued on December 15 by the respective ministries cited breach of service regulations and confirmed the suspensions came into effect after a court accepted the charge sheet in a case filed against the employees.
The protest began on December 10, when demonstrators – led primarily by the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Sanyukta Parishad – blocked access to the office of Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed for six hours, from 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
The group demanded the implementation of allowances historically granted to Secretariat staff.
Salehuddin eventually left the premises with police assistance.
Despite assurances from the government the following day that their demands would be addressed, the protestors resumed their demonstration. Authorities responded firmly: law enforcement agencies detained several individuals from within the Secretariat complex and later arrested them under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009. A court subsequently placed them on remand.
Among those suspended are key protest leaders, including Badiul Kabir, president of the Officers and Employees Sanyukta Parishad; Shahin Golam Rabbani, vice-president; and Nazrul Islam, joint convenor. Others suspended include Md. Tayeful Islam, Bikash Chandra Roy, Islamul Haque, Md. Mohsin Ali, Roman Gazi, and Abu Belal of the Ministry of Health; Mizanur Rahman Sumon of the Ministry of Information; Kamal Hossain and Mohammad Alimuzzaman of the Ministry of Public Administration; Bipul Rana Biplob of the Ministry of Finance; and Nasirul Haque of the Cabinet Division.
The use of the Anti-Terrorism Act against civil servants has drawn criticism from labour rights advocates, who argue the legislation is disproportionate for workplace-related protests. Meanwhile, government sources maintain that the employees violated established protocols for grievance redressal and disrupted official functions.
The Secretariat Allowance – historically provided to staff working in the central administrative complex – has been a longstanding point of contention, with employees claiming its discontinuation has negatively impacted their livelihoods.
As of now, the suspended staff remain on temporary leave pending further inquiry, and the government has not yet clarified when or how the allowance issue will be resolved.