AB Razzak 

Serious allegations of power abuse, running a multi-million taka transfer and tender syndicate, and sheltering fugitives have been leveled against AA Masum Billah, the Additional Deputy Director of the Administration Branch at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Khamarbari.

 General officials and employees of the Department have reportedly been held hostage by the unchecked activities of this official and his syndicate.

Victims have alleged that Masum Billah has established a reign of terror in Khamarbari, operating as the self-proclaimed "Second DG". He has reportedly managed to wield such immense influence due to sharing a hometown with DAE Director General (DG) Md. Abdur Rahim and maintaining close ties with several high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to departmental sources, a case (No. CR-90/2022) was previously filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Assistant Director SM Anisuzzaman over the embezzlement of crores of takas through fake bills and vouchers at Khamarbari. While the former assistant director (finance) Syed Shariful Islam, a charge-sheeted accused in the case, is currently in prison, other key charge-sheeted fugitives remain out of reach of the law under Billah's direct protection. These include the second accused, upper-division assistant-cum-accountant Oliullah Pradhan, who is currently working in Narayanganj's Araihazar, and the suspected mastermind behind the fake vouchers, former cashier of the administration and finance wing Md. Jahid Hasan.

The extent of the syndicate's influence became apparent following a recent transfer order. On May 19, 2026, cashier Md. Jahid Hasan was transferred to Mymensingh and cash sarkar Md. Habibur Rahman was transferred to Chandpur, with their immediate release orders issued on May 21, 2026.

 However, despite the newly appointed cashier Md. Al-Amin joining the post, Jahid Hasan has refused to hand over his responsibilities, reportedly intimidating Al-Amin and continuing his duties in his previous position. Sources claimed that Jahid Hasan and Habibur Rahman secured verbal assurances from Masum Billah to cancel their transfers in exchange for bribes of Tk 5 lakh and Tk 1 lakh respectively. This arrangement was reportedly made to ensure the syndicate's share of crores of takas from upcoming June bills, tenders, and quotations.

Furthermore, following the fall of the autocratic government, the Billah syndicate has allegedly reinstated several corrupt officials to lucrative posts at Khamarbari. These officials had previously been transferred outside Dhaka after a Ministry of Agriculture investigation found them guilty of illicit ties with the fascist Awami League and the Bangabandhu Parishad.

 Sub-assistant agriculture officers are currently being forced to pay bribes ranging from Tk 2 lakh to Tk 5 lakh per person for desired postings. In the past month, these transfer orders were intentionally withheld from the DAE website and secretly handed over as hard copies to the candidates. In one instance, a sub-assistant horticulture development officer named Salahuddin Bhuyan was transferred to the Narsingdi Horticulture Center despite there being no vacant post, using a backdated letter from May 14, 2026, which was executed on June 5, 2026, by the acting additional director of Dhaka region, Golam Mostafa Khan.

Masum Billah has also been accused of breaking the administrative chain of command by bypassing senior officials to make unilateral transfer decisions. 

He reportedly orchestrated the transfer of Additional Director (Administration-1) Md. Hasanuzzaman to control the transfers of BCS (Agriculture) cadre officials. After Deputy Director (Administration) Md. Muradul Hasan left for Hajj on April 27, 2026, Billah's activities went entirely unchecked. He has allegedly amassed lakhs of takas by promising favorable postings to newly promoted Upazila Agriculture Officers moving from the 9th to the 6th grade.

Despite being a 6th-grade official, Masum Billah also exercises unauthorized privileges by using a full-time government vehicle (Dhaka Metro-Tha-13-6167) until late at night for personal and family matters, wasting 400 to 500 liters of government fuel monthly amid a severe fuel crisis. Drivers who refuse or speak out against this misuse are reportedly threatened with immediate transfer outside Khamarbari or dismissal.

Before his posting at Khamarbari, Billah faced widespread allegations of financial irregularities and embezzlement of government incentives during his tenure as an agriculture officer in Pabna Sadar and Chatmohar upazilas from January 16, 2018, to June 5, 2024.

 He allegedly built a five-story luxury building and amassed assets worth crores of takas by misappropriating allocations meant for local farmers. Most recently, in March 2025, he was served a show-cause notice for violating the code of conduct, locking the main gate of Khamarbari to obstruct government work, and physically assaulting administration cadre officers following the government transition on August 5. Although his response was deemed unsatisfactory and a decision was made to suspend him and initiate departmental action, an "invisible power" has kept him securely in his position. 

Honest officials within the Department and conscious citizens have called for immediate intervention and stern action from the Anti-Corruption Commission and the relevant ministry adviser to dismantle the syndicate.