The government has reassigned Superintendents of Police (SPs) for all 64 districts using a lottery system, as part of preparations for the national parliamentary elections scheduled in February.
A notification issued on Wednesday by Md Mahbubur Rahman, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that the postings, made in the public interest, will take immediate effect.
The lottery to finalise the assignments was held on Monday at the Chief Adviser’s official residence in Jamuna.
Officials from the Home Ministry and Police Headquarters said that BCS police cadre officers from the 25th, 27th, and 28th batches were considered for the lottery, excluding those who had previously served as district police chiefs.
The lottery was witnessed by the police’s acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Sajjat Ali, senior Home Ministry officials, and representatives from the Chief Adviser’s office.
“The lottery method was adopted to ensure transparency and prevent controversies surrounding election-time policing,” an official said.
Most SPs retained their positions but were transferred to new districts, while 14 officers were assigned to different police units. A broader reshuffle of deputy inspectors general (DIGs) and police station chiefs (OCs) is expected soon, using the same lottery system.
Among the notable postings, SP of Dhaka M Anisuzzaman has been moved to Cumilla; SP of Narayanganj Mohammad Jashim Uddin to Kushtia; SP of Munshiganj Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar to Tangail; SP of Gazipur Dr Chowdhury Md Jaber Sadeq to Jamalpur; and SP of Narsingdi Md Menhazul Alam to Munshiganj. Other SPs have been reassigned similarly across the country.
Home Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury confirmed the lottery-based appointments, noting that districts were categorized into three groups – A, B, and C based not on size but on prevailing law-and-order situations.
“No qualified officers were excluded during the selection process,” he said, adding that assignments were made according to risk levels.
When asked about whether the same system would be applied for OC postings, the adviser said authorities are prioritizing the most capable officers for these key positions.
