Rita Rani and Nasima Begum are employed as office assistants at Shariatpur’s Naria municipality. Their job is to help with the municipality’s official duties. But allegations have emerged that, instead of carrying out their official responsibilities, they are regularly made to do various chores at the municipal administrator’s private residence. It is alleged that when the two women employees expressed reluctance to go to the administrator’s house, they were threatened with losing their jobs. The allegation has been raised against the municipality’s executive engineer, Khondaker Firoz Ahmed, who has denied threatening the women with dismissal.
Investigating the allegation
An inquiry into the allegation found that office assistant Rita Rani comes to the municipality office every morning to mark her attendance, then leaves for the municipal administrator’s residence. She stays there for around three hours before returning to the municipality office around 1pm. Visiting the Naria municipality office to verify this on the ground, Rita Rani could not be found. Speaking with several municipality employees afterward, it emerged that she comes to the office between 9:30am and 10am each day to mark attendance, then goes to the administrator’s residence, returning to the office around 1pm after finishing work there.
An admission
Rita Rani was later seen entering the municipality office around 1pm. Speaking then, she confirmed she was returning after working at the administrator’s residence. Asked how many days a week she has to go to the administrator’s house, Rita Rani said: “I have to go every day.” Several municipality employees allege that, alongside Rita Rani, another office assistant, Nasima Begum, is also occasionally sent to the administrator’s residence — meaning both are being sent to do personal household work outside their official duties.
Other employees’ allegations
One municipality employee, who did not wish to be named, said Rita Rani is sent to work at the administrator’s house every day. If she is unwilling to go, she is threatened with losing her job, the employee said. At times, both Rita Rani and Nasima Begum are sent together to work at the residence. The employee claimed that with an office assistant spending a large part of the day away from the municipality office, extra pressure falls on other employees to handle official work.
“I send her at sir’s request”
Asked about the allegation of sending the two women employees to the administrator’s house, Naria municipality’s executive engineer, Khondaker Firoz Ahmed, declined to comment on camera. He said, however, that the administrator has permanent domestic help at her residence. “No one else lives with sir here — she lives with a young daughter. There is permanent household help at her residence. Still, Rita occasionally goes to look after her daughter for a bit. I send her at sir’s request,” he said. He denied the allegation of threatening the two employees with dismissal. At one point, the engineer said: “Even when something is done for sir, she is never satisfied. She always wants more.”
The administrator’s own admission
Asked about the allegation, Naria municipality administrator and upazila assistant commissioner (land) Lucky Das also declined to comment on camera. She did, however, acknowledge sending a municipality employee to her residence. Lucky Das said: “I live alone with a young child. I have permanent domestic help at my house. But occasionally I send Rita to my house to look after my daughter for a bit.” Asked whether an office employee can be made to do personal household work, she said: “I’m not supposed to do this. But sometimes I have to, out of necessity.” She later added: “It’s a small matter. Since you’ve raised it, I won’t take her to my house anymore.”
It is learned that upazila assistant commissioner (land) Lucky Das has been serving as Naria municipality’s administrator in an additional capacity since August 5, 2024.
“It’s a humane matter,” says UNO
Asked about the matter, Naria upazila nirbahi officer Md Abdul Kaiyum Khan said: “It’s a somewhat humane matter. She lives alone here, with her young daughter at home.” He added: “The municipality is not under my jurisdiction, so I don’t want to comment on this. Though, as a fellow AC (land), she is my colleague, so I can tell her not to do this kind of thing anymore.”
Questions have been raised locally over the allegation of municipality employees being used for personal household work outside their official duties. While those involved have acknowledged that an employee was sent to the administrator’s residence, there remain conflicting accounts regarding the allegation of threats of dismissal.