“My Merit Wasn’t Recognised; I Faced Harassment” — Young Man Dropped from BCS Gazette During Verification

❐ Staff Reporter

Md. Jasim Uddin, a candidate recommended for the 49th BCS cadre, has finally been removed from the gazette after going through verification and re-verification for 10 months and 20 days.

In extreme anger and frustration, this young man has threatened to set himself on fire in front of the Raju sculpture at Dhaka University on October 12—the scheduled day of the 49th BCS entrance exam.

He made this announcement in an emotional status posted on his social media platform Facebook at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday (September 30).

Recalling the sacrifice of young Mohamed Bouazizi, who initiated the Tunisian uprising, Jasim wrote, “My life may not be worth anything, but may the talented children of this nation be free from the harassment of verification and the slavery of the gazette.”

In another post two hours earlier, he expressed his anger at the state apparatus, saying that as the sole breadwinner in the family, he was responsible for the treatment of his ailing parents and the education of his sisters. He claimed that he had been unjustly excluded despite not being involved in any wrongdoing or criminal activity.

He wrote, “Sarkar Bahadur, I am telling you, I did not get the job through anyone’s kindness or recommendation. I got it through my own talent and qualifications, which have been taken away and a great injustice has been done to me.”