A land office assistant in Hajiganj, Chandpur, has been temporarily suspended after a video purportedly showing him receiving money circulated on social media. The district administration took disciplinary action against Shuvo Chandra Barman, who worked as an office assistant at the No. 1 Rajargaon Union Land Office.
The suspension was announced in an official order signed by Chandpur Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Ziaur Rahman on Sunday, 11 October. The order stated that the decision, taken in the public interest, would take effect immediately.
According to the order, a video showing the employee taking money was circulated on Facebook on 7 October. The incident subsequently came to the attention of the administration, which initiated disciplinary action over the allegation.
The district administration stated that office assistants at union land offices have no legal authority to collect money from people seeking services. Any unauthorised collection of money while performing official duties may constitute misconduct and, depending on the findings, be treated as an act of corruption.
The action against Barman was taken under the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018. The order cited Rule 3(b), relating to allegations of corrupt conduct, and Rule 12(1), under which he was placed under temporary suspension.
The suspension is an administrative measure pending further proceedings; it does not, by itself, establish that the allegation has been conclusively proved. The department’s investigation and any subsequent disciplinary process will determine the findings and whether further penalties are warranted.
As part of the next steps, the assistant commissioner (land) in Hajiganj has been instructed to prepare a detailed statement of allegations promptly and send it to the deputy commissioner’s office. The document is intended to support the initiation of a full departmental case against the employee.
Union land offices are an important point of contact for residents seeking assistance with land-related services. Their staff deal with members of the public who may need guidance on administrative procedures and official requirements. Clear rules governing payments are therefore essential to prevent confusion over fees and to protect service users from demands for money outside authorised channels.
The administration’s order makes clear that an office assistant is not legally entitled to collect money from service recipients. Any legitimate charge associated with a public service must be handled through the applicable official process, rather than through informal payments to individual employees.
The circulation of the video has brought the allegation into public view, but the full circumstances surrounding the transaction have not been detailed in the available order. The employee’s response, the outcome of any formal inquiry and whether further disciplinary measures will follow have not yet been reported.
The next stage will depend on the preparation of the allegation statement and the departmental proceedings. Until those procedures are completed, the matter remains an allegation subject to investigation and due process.
Tighten repetitive procedural paragraphsClarify the suspension timeline
