A Home Ministry directive meant to unite Bangladesh’s lawmakers on district law and order has instead ignited a firestorm of discrimination allegations.
Multiple opposition MPs tell TIMES of Bangladesh that local Deputy Commissioners are actively freezing them out of crucial committee meetings, violating government orders and silencing the voices of thousands of voters.
Several opposition MPs, particularly from Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP), told TIMES of Bangladesh that they have neither been invited to meetings nor informed about committee proceedings, despite a government notification mandating their participation.
The newspaper spoke with 11 opposition MPs from seven districts, many of whom alleged that the exclusion is a deliberate attempt to distance elected representatives from local administrative affairs and their constituents.
A notification issued by the Political Wing-2 of the Home Ministry on 26 February reconstituted the 31-member District Law and Order Committee, with the district magistrate or deputy commissioner serving as president and the additional district magistrate as member secretary.
The order explicitly states that all MPs in a district will serve as advisers to the committee, receive meeting minutes regularly and be invited to attend meetings through separate notices.
However, more than three months after the notification was issued, many opposition lawmakers say they have yet to attend a single meeting.
Additional Secretary (Political Wing) of the Home Ministry Dr Ziauddin Ahmed said he was unaware of any DC failing to comply with the directive.
“I am not aware of any deputy commissioner not informing opposition MPs about committee meetings. This should not happen. Since I do not know the details, I cannot comment further,” he told TIMES.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman described such conduct as a serious breach of administrative norms.
“It is an unforgivable violation of the code of conduct for a government employee to disregard a government directive based on consensus and participation on such an important public-interest issue,” he said.
“If this is being done for partisan reasons, it is unacceptable both administratively and morally. Such actions would contradict the government’s pledge to ensure professionalism and neutrality in public administration.”
Saiful Alam Khan, MP for Dhaka-12 and a member of Jamaat-e-Islami’s central executive council, said he has not received a single invitation to a district law and order committee meeting.
“DCs are not implementing the ministry’s notification. We are supposed to be advisers to the committee, yet we have never been invited,” he said.
According to Khan, the Dhaka DC’s office informed him that the directive was not applicable within city corporation areas.
“Such treatment of elected representatives is unacceptable. It reflects an inferiority complex within the government,” he said, alleging that some DCs act under pressure from ruling party leaders or seek to appease them.
Similar complaints were raised by Amir Hamza, MP for Kushtia-3.
In Jashore, where Jamaat holds five of the six parliamentary seats, none of the party’s MPs have reportedly been invited to district law and order meetings.
Azizur Rahman, MP for Jashore-1 (Sharsha), said excluding elected representatives amounts to disrespecting voters.
“The people who elected us are being ignored. This is unacceptable in a democratic system,” he said.
Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Kashem Arman, MP for Dhaka-14, said opposition lawmakers are being deprived of participation in a range of government activities.
“We are not only excluded from district committee meetings. Opposition MPs are also being denied access to various government programmes and benefits,” he said.
As an example, he cited the distribution of bleaching powder and waste disposal bags during Eid-ul-Adha.
“When we contacted officials, they said they had not received instructions to involve opposition MPs in the distribution process,” he added.
Senior BNP leaders including several standing committee members declined to comment on the issue.
But, BNP’s Faridpur divisional assistant organising secretary and lawmaker for Gopalganj-1 (Muksudpur-Kashiani), Selimuzzaman Selim, told TIMES, “There is no Jamaat MP in my district but there are two Jamaat MPs within the division. And they are regularly invited to district law and order meetings. Since the government notification explicitly designates MPs as advisers to the committee, it is only natural that they receive invitations. I have no information suggesting otherwise.”
Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Touhid Bin Hasan rejected claims that MPs were being excluded.
“MPs are advisers to the committee. If they have suggestions, they can communicate them to the committee. Their physical presence at every meeting is not mandatory,” he said.
When reminded that the Home Ministry’s notification specifically calls for MPs to be invited to meetings, he responded: “We do invite MPs. Often they are unable to attend due to their busy schedules. They are particularly active in upazila-level committee meetings.”
A deputy commissioner from northern Bangladesh, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested political pressure may be influencing administrative decisions.
“There are several Jamaat MPs in my district. After inviting them to meetings, ruling party MPs became angry. Since then, they are no longer invited,” he said.
Dr Atiqur Rahman Mujahid, an NCP central leader and MP for Kurigram-2, said invitations are inconsistent.
“Sometimes we are invited, sometimes we are not. The question is why some DCs are reluctant to call opposition MPs at all,” he said.
However, not all opposition lawmakers have been excluded. According to multiple sources, a limited number of opposition MPs, particularly some senior leaders of Jamaat and the NCP, have received invitations to district law and order committee meetings.
Still, opposition leaders argue that the uneven implementation of the Home Ministry’s directive raises questions about the neutrality of local administration and the government’s commitment to inclusive governance.
