Govt reconsiders 28th BCS officers for DC posts ahead of polls

The government has started reconsidering officers from the 28th BCS batch for appointment as Deputy Commissioners (DC), as part of preparations for the upcoming national election.

A total of 40 officers from this batch have been called for interviews, scheduled to begin on 21 June at 9:30am in the Cabinet Division's conference room, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Public Administration today.

The notice stated that absence from the interview without prior approval would be considered "undesirable." This marks a change from earlier practice, when participation in DC fit list interviews was optional.

An official from the public administration ministry said the government plans to appoint new DCs in 21 districts as part of forming the election administration, and the selection process is being handled with caution. Priority may be given to those who were appointed during previous caretaker governments.

The 28th BCS batch includes 184 officers from the administration cadre. In this phase, those with ID numbers between 16339 and 16397 have been summoned. Sources said up to 158 officers from the batch may be considered for DC appointments. Earlier, over 250 officers from the 25th and 27th BCS batches were interviewed for similar posts.

This move comes as the government accelerates preparations for the upcoming national election. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus initially indicated the election would be held by April next year. 

However, after a recent meeting with BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the UK on 13 June, the government signalled a possible earlier date—potentially February.

With the election timeline in sight, the government is working to reorganise the field administration, with a focus on appointing new DCs and Superintendents of Police (SPs) — the two key posts during elections. DCs serve as returning officers, while SPs are responsible for maintaining law and order.

Currently, 26 officers from the 24th batch, 25 from the 25th, and 13 from the 27th are serving as DCs. With 21 officers from the 24th batch recently promoted to Joint Secretary, they are expected to be withdrawn from their DC roles soon.

Additionally, officers from the 24th, 25th, and 27th batches are now serving as SPs, while some from the 28th batch may be appointed as SPs before the election. On 15 June, the Public Security Division had already reshuffled four Additional DIG posts.

In past elections, the interim government forced DCs with 25 years of service into retirement and made others with less experience Officers on Special Duty, which had led to many avoiding the fit list process. Despite that history, the current administration appears determined to complete the appointments ahead of the polls.