22 cop aspirants look for ex-minister's APS
Accuse him of bribery
Our Correspondent, Netrakona
Twenty-two police job aspirants are looking for the assistant personal secretary (APS) to former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar to get back their money, which they claimed the APS took promising the jobs.The job aspirants are among the 757 selected to be recruited as police sub-inspectors and sergeants. The selection, however, was cancelled recently after a probe committee found gross irregularities including bribery, political influence and nepotism in the selection process. The 22 aspirants out of the 24 from Netrakona claim that Babar's APS Mirza Haider Ali took Tk 4-5 lakh from each of them promising them the police jobs. The 22 are allegedly leaders and activists of BNP's student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal while the two others, who did not have to bribe, are activists of BNP's coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami's student front Islami Chhatra Shibir, sources in an intelligence agency said. "I managed Tk 5 lakh selling most of my cultivable land and gave the money to Haider for my son's job," said the father of a job aspirant from Madan upazila of Netrakona. "I want my money back and I also want Haider's punishment," he told The Daily Star seeking anonymity. A brother of another candidate for the job of sub-inspector from Mohanganj upazila claimed that he gave Haider Tk 4 lakh for his younger brother's job even though Haider is their relative. They alleged that they searched for Haider to get their money back at all possible places in the district but they could not find him. The Daily Star repeatedly tried to reach Haider on his mobile phone but failed as his phone was switched off. Local sources alleged that the two Shibir men were selected on Jamaat's recommendations. Of the 24 selected from Netrakona for the posts of sub-inspectors and sergeants, 14 were selected from the former state minister's home upazila Madan, sources in the Special Branch of Netrakona police said. The rest 10 were from the nine other upazilas of the district. A highly placed official of an intelligence agency said many of the 24 aspirants are married and accused in different cases, but Haider managed to collect their verification certificates from the District Special Branch office. The APSs are political appointees to work under the ministers.
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