Allegations of trading in outsourcing staff recruitment at Kushtia General Hospital have surfaced after an audio clip went viral on social media, in which patients are reportedly referred to as “chickens.”
The 8-minute and 28-second audio was recently published on a Facebook page named “Update Shironam”, sparking widespread outrage.
The audio allegedly features Suraj Hossain Shomrat, Member Secretary of the Kushtia district branch of the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) youth organisation, Jatiya Jubo Shakti, demanding money from a job aspirant. However, the exact date and method of recording remain unknown.
In the audio, the individual is heard making several startling claims. “Whoever I give the CV to is my trusted person. His power is nothing compared to my power. I am the district secretary of NCP’s youth organisation. I also have influence in the administrative sector,” he says.
He further claims responsibility for recruitment: “They will take 34 people. I am the one bringing out this recruitment. Previously, the recruitment of 25 people also happened through me.”
Referring to hospital income, he says, “There was a lot of income in the hospital. If a patient is taken to the ward on a stretcher, there is an income of Tk50 to Tk100. If you get 20 chickens (patients) in an 8-hour duty, the income is Tk1,000.”
Advising the job aspirant to submit money along with his CV, he assures a refund if the job does not materialise. “Many people are walking around with Tk1.5 to Tk2 lakh for jobs. Along with the CV, Tk 1 lakh will be taken,” he says.
When contacted, Suraj Hossain Shomrat claimed there are multiple factions within the NCP and suggested the audio could be propaganda from an opposing faction ahead of a district committee formation.
Asked whether the voice was his, he said, “I cannot say with complete certainty. In some places, it seems like I am the one speaking. We talk to various people in various places. They may have collected something from those conversations.”
Nazmul Hossain, Divisional Organising Secretary of Jatiya Jubo Shakti for Khulna division, said there is no active committee in Kushtia district, adding that a previous draft committee was suspended. “The matter has come to our attention. A statement will be issued from the centre,” he said.
Nayan Ahmed, central organiser of the NCP, told The Daily Star that the individual was involved in various unethical activities and used to introduce himself as a Jubo Shakti leader despite being originally involved in BNP politics. “After the matter came to light, the committee was suspended within an hour of its formation. An investigation is ongoing regarding the viral audio,” he said.
