From Jail for Wife-Beating to DC: Controversial Appointment Sparks Outrage

A man who once served jail time for beating his wife over dowry demands has now been appointed by the government as the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Barishal ahead of the election. The Deputy Commissioner is responsible for overseeing overall district administration, including law and order and land affairs. The role demands prestige and integrity. However, officials in the administration have expressed astonishment at the appointment of an officer who himself lacks personal ethics. His name is Khairul Alam Suman, a 29th batch officer. He has recently been made the DC of Barishal.

When asked about his imprisonment in a dowry case, Khairul Alam Suman said, “These are my personal matters. There was a departmental case against me; the authorities know everything and made the decision with that knowledge. I will not comment further.” In his current Personal Data Sheet (PDS), he has listed himself as “unmarried.”

Sources reveal that Khairul married the daughter of former secretary Abdul Mannan. He began his career as a probationer in Brahmanbaria, where Abdul Mannan was the DC at the time. Later, Abdul Mannan arranged Khairul’s marriage with his daughter. Subsequently, Khairul served at the Chattogram DC Office. He also worked as Assistant Commissioner (Land) in Nangalkot, Nikli, and Bajitpur. He served as Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) in two upazilas—Baliadangi in Thakurgaon and Fulbari in Dinajpur.

However, due to the dowry case filed by his wife, a departmental case was initiated against him, which hindered his regular promotions. Although an order promoting him to Deputy Secretary was issued on 3 December last year, his retrospective promotion date was shown as 11 September 2023. It is known that he received the retrospective promotion after claiming discrimination.

The dowry case against Khairul Alam Suman was filed while he was serving as AC (Land) in Bajitpur, Kishoreganj. In April 2016, while he was AC (Land), a court sent Khairul and his mother, Khodeza Begum, to jail in connection with the dowry case. At that time, the investigating officer, SI Shah Alam of Wari Police Station in Dhaka, produced them before the court and requested five days of remand for interrogation. The defense lawyer, Masud Ahmed, filed for bail and requested dismissal of the remand petition. After the hearing, the court rejected both the remand and bail petitions and ordered that the accused be sent to jail. Khairul later spent a long time in prison.

Alongside the criminal case, Khairul’s wife also filed complaints with the Ministry of Public Administration, prompting a departmental inquiry. In the complaint, she stated that they were married on 5 June 2015. Since then, the accused had regularly demanded dowry from her and subjected her to various forms of torture, including frequent physical abuse. She alleged that on the night of 24 March 2016, at Khairul’s residence in the Wari area, his mother burned her with a hot spatula while Khairul held her hand down. The next day, she filed a case at Wari Police Station.

Public administration experts say that appointing someone with such personal disciplinary issues to the position of Deputy Commissioner is inappropriate. It affects the image of civil service leadership. The DC is responsible for overseeing law and order and magistracy powers in the district. If anyone questions him about his personal scandals, he may feel discomfort. The reputation of the DC’s office is crucial.