CAAB engineer under ministry scanner

   
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has ordered an investigation against Md. Shariful Islam, Superintendent Engineer (Civil) of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), after allegations of forgery of freedom fighter certificates reported in the Daily Observer. 

The ministry has been instructed to take necessary action after verifying the legality of his appointment, availing the benefits of freedom fighter quota and allegations of irregularities in the performance of duties.

The chairman of the CAAB was instructed to do so in a letter issued on June 16, signed by Mahbubur Rahman, Private Secretary to the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism. The letter asked him to verify the veracity of various allegations against Engineer Shariful Islam published in a national daily and inform the ministry.

A report published in the Daily Observer on June 4 revealed that Shariful Islam got a job at CAAB in 2001 on the basis of his father Md. Mosharraf Hossain's freedom fighter certificate. However, serious questions have been raised about the authenticity of the certificate and his father's identity as a freedom fighter.

Separate investigations by the police, intelligence agencies and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are underway in this incident, sources said.

Amir Hamza, Assistant Director and Executive Magistrate in charge of the Dhaka division of the National Freedom Fighters Council (JAMUKA), said that the name of Shariful Islam's father, Mosharraf Hossain, was not found in the list of 640 gazetted Freedom Fighters published in Gopalganj district.