Bangladesh’s interim government has initiated what many observers describe as one of the largest pre-election restructurings in recent memory, reassigning and promoting more than a thousand officials across key state institutions. With the 13th parliamentary election drawing near, the authorities appear determined to put in place a refreshed chain of command in law enforcement, the civil bureaucracy and the lower judiciary.
On Tuesday, a lottery-based process at the Chief Adviser’s residence completed the selection of Superintendents of Police for all 64 districts—an unusual step intended to reinforce transparency and reduce political influence. The following day, official orders confirmed that 50 incumbent SPs were transferred to new districts, while 14 officers were newly appointed as district SPs. Rajshahi’s Metropolitan Police also received a new Commissioner. Meanwhile, the police force’s upper ranks were strengthened with the promotion of 33 officers to Deputy Inspector General.
The administrative service has undergone an equally significant shake-up. Recently, the government appointed new Deputy Commissioners in 50 districts, effectively renewing the leadership responsible for overseeing district-level governance and election management. In addition, 166 senior assistant secretaries have been assigned as Upazila Nirbahi Officers, forming the frontline of local administration. Both DCs and UNOs play decisive roles in elections, with DCs traditionally serving as Returning Officers. The Election Commission, however, has not yet disclosed who will fulfil that role this time.
The judiciary has also seen a major uplift, with 826 lower-court judges receiving promotions or transfers. These include promotions to the ranks of District Judge, Additional District Judge and Joint District Judge. Such a comprehensive reshuffle is expected to ease case backlogs and stabilise the judicial workflow during the election period, when legal disputes often increase.
A long list of transfers places SPs in new postings across the country: Dhaka’s SP Md Anisuzzaman moves to Cumilla; the SPs of Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur and Chattogram have been reassigned to districts such as Kushtia, Tangail, Jamalpur and Sirajganj. Similar shifts have affected Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, Rangpur and Mymensingh regions. The Police Bureau of Investigation, the Armed Police Battalion and the CID have all seen several SPs redeployed.
Together, these extensive rearrangements indicate that the interim administration is attempting to build a governance structure that is both stable and demonstrably impartial. Ahead of an election where institutional neutrality will be scrutinised domestically and internationally, the government’s sweeping reshuffle appears designed to reduce entrenched networks, reinforce accountability and ensure that the machinery of the state can function without undue interference.