First 8, then 6 more National Board of Revenue officers face suspension for defying transfer instructions amid internal unrest

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has suspended a total of 14 officials on the same day after they publicly protested transfer orders by tearing them up. This action followed internal protests that began in late June.

According to separate official circulars issued on Tuesday, July 15, by the Internal Resources Division, eight officials from the income tax department were first suspended, followed by six others from both customs and tax divisions.

Among those suspended are Sabuj Mia, Revenue Officer at Dhaka (North) Customs Bond Commissionerate; Shafiul Bashar, Revenue Officer at Khulna Customs, Excise, and VAT Commissionerate; Sifat-e-Marium, Deputy Project Director (Additional Commissioner) of the National Single Window Project in Dhaka; Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, Additional Commissioner at the VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate in Dhaka and President of the NBR Reform Unity Council; and Md. Shahadat Jamil, Second Secretary at NBR.

Also suspended are Mirza Ashiq Rana, Additional Tax Commissioner at Tax Zone-8, Dhaka; Mohammad Shihabul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Khulna Tax Zone; Nusrat Jahan Shumi, Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Tax Zone; Imam Tawhid Hasan Shakil, Deputy Commissioner of Cumilla Tax Zone; Masuma Khatun, Joint Tax Commissioner of Dhaka Tax Zone-2; Murad Ahmed, Joint Tax Commissioner of Tax Zone-15; Morshed Uddin Khan of Kushtia Tax Zone; Monalisa Shahrin Sushmita, Joint Tax Commissioner of Noakhali Tax Zone; and Ashraful Alam Pradhan, Joint Tax Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Tax Zone.

The suspensions were carried out through two phases: initially, eight income tax officials were placed on temporary suspension under one order, and subsequently, five customs officials and one more tax official were suspended under a separate order.

According to officials, this disciplinary action stems from a series of events dating back to June 22. On that day, five income tax officers were issued immediate transfer orders as part of administrative measures. The following day, in a dramatic public statement, a group of NBR officials labeled those transfer orders as acts of “revenge and oppression.”

During a press conference, they tore up the official orders in front of the media as a form of protest. This public defiance escalated tensions within the NBR, eventually leading to the suspension orders issued today.

The NBR’s internal policies consider non-compliance with transfer directives and public protest actions such as these to be serious breaches of discipline. Officials familiar with the matter noted that the suspended officers may face further departmental proceedings following their temporary suspension.

As of now, no formal statement has been issued by the NBR Reform Unity Council or its president, Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, regarding the latest round of suspensions. The situation continues to develop amid ongoing administrative reforms within the NBR.