Disputed DEAB Committee Draws Dissent
The newly formed committee of the Diploma Engineers Association of Bangladesh (DEAB), a BNP-affiliated body of diploma engineers, has sparked sharp criticism and allegations of irregularities from leaders left out of the lineup.
Upon learning of the announcement, some excluded leaders submitted a written complaint to BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman demanding suspension of the committee. According to the disgruntled group, out of the 33-member body, at least 27 leaders have expressed dissatisfaction. The 31st member, Kazi Md. Elias, even wrote on Facebook that “he was not aware of the committee and requested no posts be made involving him.” A few others signaled intentions to resign.
The excluded leaders allege that the committee was composed only of loyalists to a select group of leaders. “This committee can be canceled at any time. We will not allow its activities to function even for a single day,” they said, adding that most of the appointees had been politically inactive for the past 15 years, were not part of the previous committee, and in some cases demoted senior figures. In contrast, former leaders of the Chhatra Dal and active members of the outgoing committee were sidelined, fueling resentment. “The committee will only deepen unrest in the ongoing engineers’ movement,” they argued, further objecting that degree-holding engineers had been included, noting that the president himself is a BSc engineer.
On Saturday night, August 30, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi issued a press release forming the 33-member DEAB committee. Engineer Md. Hanif was named convener and Engineer Kazi Sakhawat Hossain member secretary. Additionally, eight were appointed joint conveners and 23 as members. The announcement immediately triggered anger among BNP-leaning diploma engineers and members of the previous committee.
Several sidelined leaders, speaking anonymously, alleged that despite their sacrifices during years of “Awami League misrule” through arrests, harassment, and street activism, they were excluded. Instead, they claimed, the committee was filled with “collaborators” and financial beneficiaries. They described it as “betrayal against the sacrifices of jailed, tortured, and martyred leaders.”
Eight new faces were included in the committee: Joint Conveners Md. Saiful Islam Rony and Md. Sohel Rana Swapon; members Md. Humayun Kabir Shamim, Gazi Md. Selim, Md. Ashraful Hossain Shakil, Kazi Md. Elias, Md. Shafiul Azam Sohel, and Md. Mizanuzzaman Rubel.
Golam Kibria Rubel, organizational secretary of the outgoing committee, said: “Many new people were given positions. Only one faction was accommodated. Several were inactive in past movements. I lost my job during the Awami League era, was jailed, and stayed active on the streets, yet I was left out. This is bleeding the hearts of diploma engineers who believe in the nationalist ideology.”
Earlier, nationalist-minded diploma engineers had appealed to Tarique Rahman to suspend the committee, alleging that it had incorporated “collaborators of autocracy” who entered after August 5, 2024, while sidelining longtime activists. The petition accused Engineers Md. Hanif and Kazi Sakhawat Hossain of controversial roles, including ties to Jamaat-affiliated student politics, corruption allegations, and secret financial deals.
It further alleged that the two had attempted to turn the organization into a “limited company,” engaging in secret agreements, financial transactions, and manipulative propaganda to divide the group. Hanif, it claimed, had been absent from the association for eight years, while Sakhawat was declared unwelcome at IDEB over corruption. The petition warned: “If this so-called committee led by Md. Hanif and Kazi Sakhawat Hossain is approved, it will spark rebellion in the hearts of nationalist diploma engineers.”
When contacted, DEAB’s new convener Abu Hanif said: “The new committee was coordinated by BNP Standing Committee member Professor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain and Engineer Shahrin Islam Tuhin. They know best. I also heard that a few members were unaware of their inclusion, but the allegations against me are false. I have been on the frontlines of the movement.”
