The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has rejected an appeal against the demotion of Md Israfil Haque from senior assistant director to assistant director of its Spectrum Division.
After disposing the appeal, the telecom regulator informed that the investigation was conducted following due process and the penalty was imposed in accordance with law.
BTRC sources said the matter was placed before the commission meeting in January, where the appeal arguments, investigation reports and justification of the punishment were discussed in detail.
Upon review, the commission decided that the appeal is unacceptable.
The incident leading to the demotion originated from a monitoring drive conducted between 16 and 18 July in 2024 at Chourangi Fantasy Park in Narayanganj.
During the drive, several walkie-talkie sets were seized from officials of numerous businesses based in the surrounding area.
Allegations later emerging that the-then senior assistant director accepted Tk20,000 in exchange for returning the confiscated material.
BTRC regulations stipulate that walkie-talkies can only be used by authorised individuals for select purposes.
After the matter was brought to its attention, the BTRC initiated an administrative departmental inquiry, that examined the concerned official, witnesses, documents, and available evidence.
In the investigation report, the inquiry committee deemed the allegation to be true and identified the act as contrary to the code of conduct and ethics for public servants.
Based on the report, disciplinary action was taken under the BTRC (Employee) Service Regulations, 2022 and the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018.
As per the decision, Haque was demoted to assistant director of the Spectrum Division, with his salary adjusted to the lowest possible amount for the position at Tk22,000 from Tk47,600.
Additionally, his tenure as senior assistant director will not be considered for future promotions or financial benefits.
Haque later filed an appeal, claiming that the investigation was not impartial and that he was not given a proper opportunity to defend himself.
Haque also alleged that some witness statements were taken under duress and there were inconsistencies in the date and description of the incident.
Besides, he claimed the submitted audio recording was fabricated and that there was no direct evidence of a financial transaction.
He further said that the seized walkie-talkies were never returned and remain stored in the BTRC warehouse.
Alleging a conspiracy by colleagues, Haque highlighted that he had no previous corruption allegations during his 21 years of service.
Contacted by TIMES, Haque said he would later comment on the matter.
Having received the appeal, the BTRC re-examined the matter in accordance with relevant rules, reviewing whether due procedure was followed, whether Haque had an opportunity to respond and whether the punishment was disproportionate to the allegation.
Under law, the commission had three options: uphold the penalty, modify it or cancel it.
After reviewing related documents, the commission concluded that the accused had been given an opportunity to defend himself and there were no procedural flaws.
It also opined that the punishment was not unreasonable considering the weight of the allegation.
So, following a full review, the commission rejected the appeal, keeping the previously imposed demotion and administrative punishment in place.
BTRC sources said such decisions are important to ensure discipline and accountability, reflecting the policy that proven allegations of unethical conduct in public institutions will result in upheld penalties.
As such, Haque must continue performing the duties of his current position after failing to overturn the punishment through appeal.
