C T Online Desk: Sarwar Jahan Jewel: Angry scientists, officials, employees and local residents have been protesting and rallied for the fifth consecutive day by locking the office of Bangladesh Atomic Agricultural Research Institute (BINA) Director General (DG) Dr. Abul Kalam Azad. During this time, the protesters demanded the removal of the Director General and an investigation into his controversial activities.
The protesters held a protest march and rally at the Bangladesh Atomic Agricultural Research Institute building in Mymensingh for the fifth consecutive day.
BINA’s project director Mahbubul Alam Tarafdar, chief scientific officer Reza Mohammad Emon, agriculturist Md. Abdur Rashid, Mohammad Farhad Hossain, staff leader Mohammad Dipu and others spoke at the event.
At this time, the speakers said, on August 4 last year, the DG led a lathi-charge against the students and the public. Even in the changed background, the promotion of 27 Chhatra League leaders has been finalized. The implementation of the decision of the board of directors to grant seniority to the deprived people is being delayed. In addition, there are allegations of various controversial activities against the DG, including running away from office. Due to these reasons, unrest has been created in the institution. We demand the immediate resignation of this DG, who is an ally of the fascists. Otherwise, the movement of the deprived will continue.
This has created a turbulent situation both inside and outside the organization.
Meanwhile, the administrative activities of this only agricultural research institute in the country have come to a standstill due to the movement of the deprived, said Chief Scientific Officer and Divisional Head of Planning and Development Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman. He told Dhaka Post that the administrative activities of the institute have come to a standstill due to the movement of the deprived. Salaries, allowances, bills, vouchers and tour bills are stuck. In addition, an audit report of the ministry has been stuck due to this stagnation. He further said that the DG has not been in office for a long time, the agitators have locked his room. They are holding protest marches every day to demand their demands. These reasons have created this stagnation.
Many others, including BINA’s scientific officer Md. Farhad Hossain, have made similar comments. They told Dhaka Post that during the previous government, Dr. Abul Kalam Azad was appointed as DG under the control of a syndicate. As a result, in the country’s changing context, the DG is busy in Dhaka instead of regularly working in the office. Meanwhile, due to the movement of the deprived, the DG no longer comes to the office. This has created a deadlock in all types of activities of the institution.
However, DG Dr. Abul Kalam Azad’s office was not available to inquire about his statement on these issues.
In this regard, DG’s Private Secretary (PS) and Scientific Officer Md. Shah Abdullah Al Mamun said, “The protesters have locked Sir’s (DG’s) room. I am working in another room.”
