AC Tabassum Urmi sacked over anti- govt Facebook posts

Tabassum Urmi AL in Lalmonirhat posted anti-government statement in Facebook

Former Assistant Commissioner at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Lalmonirhat Tabassum Urmi, who was made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and temporarily suspended then, has been dismissed from government service for making controversial remarks on Facebook about the interim government and its Chief Adviser.

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday, stating that she was dismissed following a departmental case filed against her on charges of ‘misconduct’ under Rule 3(b) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018.

According to the notification, on October 6 last year, Urmi posted a Facebook status making controversial remarks about the interim government and the chief adviser, prompting disciplinary action.

A show-cause notice was served to her following the incident. Citing security concerns, she did not attend the personal hearing and instead submitted a written explanation, which was not accepted by authorities and an investigation officer was appointed.

The allegations of ‘misconduct’ were found to be true during the inquiry, said the notification.

In light of the investigation, authorities decided to impose the highest administrative penalty under the relevant disciplinary rules initially. Urmi was asked to serve a second show-cause notice before the final decision.

After reviewing the investigation report, her replies, overall circumstances and relevant documents, the charges of misconduct were found proven, leading to the decision to dismiss her from service, it added.

According to the notification, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) agreed with the authorities’ proposal to impose the highest penalty and the president also approved the dismissal.

Earlier, her Facebook post regarding the interim government sparked controversy. In her post, she wrote, “The chief adviser of the unconstitutional interim government says the reset button has been pressed. The past has been erased. With just one click of the reset button, the entire history of the country has been wiped out. So simple! But now, your countdown has begun, sir.”

She had also made several other social media posts expressing support for the ousted government and criticising the July Uprising and its first martyr, Abu Sayed.

Urmi was made OSD on October 6 last year, and the following day, the Ministry of Public Administration issued an order suspending her temporarily.

A case against her is also under trial in court. - UNB