Three Bangladesh Bank officials have been stand released shortly after publicly questioning decisions of Governor Ahsan H Mansur, a move that has triggered fresh unease and debate inside the central bank.
The action came just a day after show cause notices gave them 10 days to respond. Many officials see the swift move as a signal of intolerance toward dissent, particularly when no visible steps have been taken against central bank officials accused of facilitating major banking scandals in the past.
According to an order issued Tuesday by the central bank’s Human Resources Department, Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council President AKM Masum Billah has been transferred to the Rangpur office, General Secretary Golam Mostafa Shrabon to the Bogura office and Nawshad Mustafa, general secretary of the Nil panel and director of SME and Special Programmes Department, from the head office to the Barishal office on stand release.
A senior central bank official said the three were instructed to join their new postings immediately.
“They have been stand released upon receipt of the letters and asked to report to their new workplaces without delay,” the official said.
The office order states the transfers will be effective immediately, requiring them to join their new stations by Wednesday.
Sources inside Bangladesh Bank said elected representatives of officers’ associations are usually not transferred to field offices before completion of their tenure and often enjoy informal protection.
Many insiders believe this long-standing practice has been broken in this case.
The development follows a sudden press conference on 16 February where the three council leaders openly questioned several steps taken by the governor.
They raised objections over the weak bank merger process, the reported move to grant a digital bank licence to a specific entity, and the overall decision-making approach in key matters.
At the briefing, they also described the governor’s conduct as “authoritarian”.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan told reporters that show cause notices had been issued against them for alleged breach of discipline. “Once they respond, the next course of action will be decided,” he said.
However, within hours of that statement, the order stand releasing them outside Dhaka was issued, raising further questions.
The central bank has formally maintained that under staff regulations, no official can make public statements without prior approval. The action, it said, was taken over alleged violation of this rule.
But in a Facebook post Tuesday evening after the transfers, Masum Billah made a series of counter allegations that added a new dimension to the dispute.
He claimed that after the amended Bangladesh Bank Order was rejected by the finance ministry, the governor himself had called the council and asked it to hold a press conference and protest against the finance adviser.
According to him, no show cause notice was issued when they acted “as per the governor’s instruction”.
Masum Billah questioned whether taking punitive action for criticising the governor amounts to a new form of “authoritarian” conduct.
He also told TIMES that despite the existence of senior and executive management teams, regular coordination meetings are not being held, and many key decisions are being taken in a limited circle.
On the digital bank licence issue, he said the one-day notice board meeting called after the national election had alarmed officials, prompting the council to hold the emergency press conference based on members’ views.
In the same post, he also raised questions about the purchase of a Toyota Alphard for the governor at a cost of Tk2.08 crore and alleged irregularities related to medicine bills. Bangladesh Bank did not immediately respond to these claims.
Meanwhile, another question is gaining traction inside the central bank. Some officials say no visible disciplinary action has been taken during the current governor’s tenure against officials whose names surfaced over alleged roles in past banking loot.
When asked about this in earlier briefings, the governor said he prefers to judge officials based on their current conduct rather than past actions.
However, the rapid stand release following criticism of his decisions has reignited debate within Bangladesh Bank over consistency and neutrality in disciplinary actions.
The Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council has called a protest meeting at 11am on Wednesday, which may further escalate tensions.
Governor Ahsan H Mansur was called and sent a text message seeking comment on the allegations, but no response was received until the filing of this report.
