In Brahmanbaria district, Bangladesh, the Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives has temporarily suspended four Union Parishad (UP) chairmen following verified allegations of fraud involving the creation of fake birth and death registration certificates to meet official targets.
Alongside the suspensions, the ministry has issued show-cause notices asking why the chairmen should not be permanently removed from office. The ministry has also requested the District Commissioner to take legal action against four administrative officers linked to the concerned union councils.
The order was issued on 21 April through nine separate notifications signed by Deputy Secretary Helena Parveen of the UP-1 Section of the Local Government Division. The official documents reached the Brahmanbaria district administration on Wednesday and the matter became public on Thursday afternoon.
District Commissioner Md Abu Sayeed confirmed that the suspension orders had been received and stated that administrative officers of the four unions would face legal proceedings in addition to disciplinary action.
The case originated from investigative reports published on 26 December in Prothom Alo, titled “Fake birth and death registrations to meet targets” and “Target fulfilment through fake child birth-death registration”. Following these reports, the office of the Registrar General ordered a field-level investigation on 20 January. The inquiry later confirmed the allegations against the chairmen and administrative officials.
Officials affected by the order
| Category | Name | Union | Upazila |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Nasir Uddin | Sadeqpur | Brahmanbaria Sadar |
| Chairman | Atiqur Rahman | Budhal | Brahmanbaria Sadar |
| Chairman | Md Faruk Islam | Kuti | Kasba |
| Chairman | Faizur Rahman | Char Chartola | Ashuganj |
| Administrative Officer | Kazi Tajuddin Ahmed | Kuti | Kasba |
| Administrative Officer | Md Atiqur Rahman | Sadeqpur | Brahmanbaria Sadar |
| Administrative Officer | Md Hasan Bhuiyan | Budhal | Brahmanbaria Sadar |
| Administrative Officer | Md Rasel Mahmud | Char Chartola | Ashuganj |
According to the official suspension notifications, the investigation found that fake birth and death registration certificates were issued in order to artificially achieve registration targets. The actions were described as unlawful use of Union Parishad authority and contrary to public interest.
The notification further states that such conduct constitutes offences under Section 34(4)(b) of the Union Parishad Act, 2009. As a result, under Section 34(1) of the same Act, the four chairmen have been suspended from their posts.
The show-cause notices instruct the chairmen to respond within 10 working days through the Brahmanbaria District Commissioner, explaining why they should not be permanently removed from office under the law.
In a separate communication, the ministry instructed that disciplinary and legal action be taken against the four administrative officials, noting that they fall under the appointing authority of the District Commissioner.
Md Shariful Islam, Deputy Director of the Local Government Division in Brahmanbaria and Administrator of Brahmanbaria Municipality, stated that the investigation report had been submitted to the ministry and relevant authorities after the allegations were initially reported. He confirmed that the inquiry substantiated the claims raised in the investigative reports, which led to the disciplinary measures imposed by the ministry.