Punishment of 20 protesting NBR officials waived

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has waived the disciplinary penalties imposed on 20 officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) who had taken part in protests last year against the promulgation of the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, 2025.

The president approved their appeals seeking remission of the penalties and ordered the cancellation of the disciplinary actions.

The Internal Resources Division issued 20 separate notifications on Sunday.

The officials whose punishments were cancelled include Commissioner Zakir Hossain (currently serving in an acting capacity), Additional Commissioners of Taxes Hasan Tarek Rikabdar, Mirza Ashik Rana, Chand Sultana Chowdhurani, Sultana Habib, Murad Ahmed, Sifat-E-Mariam, Amimul Ehsan and Sadhan Kumar Kundu.

The others are Joint Commissioners of Taxes Monalisa Shahrin, Mamun Mia, Masuma Khatun, Morshed Uddin Khan and Sanwarul Kabir; Deputy Commissioners of Taxes Zillur Rahman, Imam Towhid Hossain, Saidul Islam and Shahadat Jamil; and Revenue Officers Sabuj Mia and Shafiul Bashar.

According to the notifications, the officials violated the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979, by staging a sit-in at the entrance of the National Revenue Building on June 24 last year and publicly tearing up a transfer order.

During the protests, the NBR headquarters was blockaded and officials observed a two-day work stoppage across the country, disrupting import and export activities.

They later launched fresh protests demanding the resignation of the NBR chairman and declared him “unwelcome” at the organisation’s offices. They also announced a “complete shutdown” programme.

Amid the crisis, the interim government declared NBR services “essential” and formed a committee comprising five advisers to address the situation.

The officials eventually withdrew their protests and returned to work following mediation by business leaders. The government subsequently initiated investigations and disciplinary proceedings against them.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also investigated allegations of corruption against 11 of the officials at the time.

Following departmental investigations that found the allegations proven, the NBR imposed various disciplinary measures on them, including compulsory retirement, temporary suspension and demotion in pay grade.