All governments incorrectly use rules of police verification for public jobs
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Baker Al Mahmud (pseudonym) passed the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination and was recommended for appointment by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC). He hails from an upazila in the greater Mymensingh region. In February 2019, the Special Branch (SB) of the police sent a report regarding Mahmud to the Ministry of Public Administration. It said that his father was a businessman and currently served as the vice-president of the local merchant association. In 2007, his father was the general secretary of the upazila unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), but later aligned with the Awami League and worked in parliamentary election campaigns.
When the local Member of Parliament (MP) was informed of the situation, he issued a semi-official (DO) letter on Mahmud's behalf. Based on this, the SB submitted a second report on July 7 of the same year. The revised report stated that his father was a businessman not actively affiliated with any political party, and no member of his family was involved in anti-state activities. However, due to the conflicting nature of these two reports for the same candidate, Mahmud was denied the appointment. Mahmud is not alone—in the last five BCS examinations (38th–42nd), at least 239 candidates recommended by the BPSC were denied appointments under similar circumstances.
Dr. Yunus's interim government has also failed to break away from this practice established during the Awami League regime. Having been recommended by the BPSC during that period, at least 250 candidates for the 43rd and 44th BCS were deprived of appointments due to "adverse" police reports. This issue is not confined to cadre posts alone; similar allegations have surfaced regarding non-cadre recruitments, including assistant primary school teachers.
Victims claim that a candidate should logically be deemed unfit for appointment only if there are pending criminal cases or proof of involvement in crimes. In reality, however, verification turns into a search for political affiliations of the candidates, their family members, or relatives. Furthermore, negative remarks are sometimes intentionally included in reports if the police officer responsible for verification is not bribed ("managed"). As a result, innocent candidates are branded with political labels and deprived of job appointments and promotions year after year. Nonetheless, there are instances where candidate protests and demonstrations have forced authorities to issue appointments.
Yet, according to the existing BCS Recruitment Rules 1981, there is no provision to deny a candidate an appointment unless they are declared medically unfit or designated a "criminal" in the police report. Even if a candidate's parents or family members are affiliated with an opposition political party, the candidate cannot be deprived. Obtaining a report from the police or state agencies before joining civil service is intended solely to verify whether the candidate is personally involved in anti-state activities. This rule applies to all government jobs, including non-cadre positions.
However, the Ministry of Ministry of Public Administration denies these allegations. When asked, Public Administration Secretary Md. Kamruzzaman Chowdhury told Agamir Somoy: "No BCS results have been published since the current government took office. Nevertheless, we are working on appointing candidates recommended by the BPSC strictly based on merit and eligibility. Nothing will be done outside the rules."
Administration experts contend that under Article 29 of the Constitution—which guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment—excluding someone after a BPSC recommendation under the guise of verification is unconstitutional. What a candidate's father, grandfather, maternal grandfather, or uncle did, or which party they supported, should not be a factor.
Former Secretary and public administration expert A.K.M. Abdul Awal Mazumder told Agamir Somoy: "This abuse has persisted since the British and Pakistan eras. In 1955, A.B.M. Abdul Latif from Bauphal, Patuakhali, was selected in the CSP (Civil Service of Pakistan) examination. He was a student of the Political Science Department at Dhaka University and served as the VP of S.M. Hall during the 1953–54 session. Yet, he could not join the service due to an adverse police report. That trend continues today, though it was not as severe in the past as it is now. Only political unity can offer a way out of this."
Here is the English translation of the second part of the article:
Sources in the Ministry of Public Administration report that the interim government has followed the exact same path as the Awami League regime. The official gazette notification for the 44th BCS was published during the final phase of the interim government. However, the names of 186 candidates who received final recommendations from the BPSC were omitted from that gazette. While others joined the service as usual, these deprived candidates are still going door to door seeking employment. The victims claim that they were excluded by being given political "labels" during police verification under the pretext of background checks. Similarly, at least 65 candidates from the 43rd BCS were unable to join the service because their names were excluded from the final gazette, despite receiving final recommendations from the BPSC.
Investigations reveal that in the 38th BCS, the BPSC had recommended 2,204 candidates for appointment after all examinations were completed. However, the Ministry of Public Administration appointed 2,151 candidates, leaving 53 candidates without jobs. Similarly, in the 39th (Special) BCS, 6,792 candidates were recommended, but 6,732 were appointed, leaving 60 candidates in the bay. In the 40th BCS, 1,963 candidates were recommended, yet the Ministry issued a notification appointing 1,931 candidates, depriving 32 individuals in that batch. For the 41st BCS, the BPSC recommended 2,520 candidates, but 2,459 were appointed, leaving 61 candidates still waiting for their appointments. In the 42nd Special BCS, the BPSC recommended 4,000 doctors for recruitment, but 3,967 were appointed, meaning 33 candidates were left out. During the interim government's tenure, it was stated that many candidates recommended by the BPSC from the 28th to the 42nd BCS had been denied appointments during the Awami League regime. Among them, 259 candidates were appointed during the interim government's rule.
According to administration expert and former Additional Secretary Firoz Mia, "Police can conduct background verification. However, a candidate can be excluded only if there is information about criminal offenses, if the candidate is a habitual offender, or if physical ineligibility is proven."
The Public Administration Reform Commission of the interim government has recommended abolishing the practice of asking the police or intelligence agencies for political identities regarding promotions. As rationale, the Commission stated that politicization in public administration begins at this level. Furthermore, the Commission recommended eliminating police background checks prior to the announcement of written and viva-voce examination results. It stated that after a candidate passes the BCS examination, the Ministry of Public Administration will, prior to final appointment, only request a report from the police department regarding whether there are any criminal cases pending against the specific candidate. If necessary, the Ministry may also request a report from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
