New Director Appointed at BSMMU Amid Allegations of Pressure-Induced Reassignment

Staff Reporter

Brigadier General Abu Noman Mohammad Mosleh Uddin has been appointed as the new director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), replacing Brigadier General Md. Rezaur Rahman. The announcement was made in a circular issued on January 16 by Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Abu Saleh Md. Mahfuzul Alam.

Sources within BSMMU allege that the reassignment followed tensions involving Brigadier General Md. Rezaur Rahman and central coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement. The dispute reportedly stemmed from incidents during the July-August anti-government protests when injured demonstrators faced challenges in receiving treatment at the university hospital. During this period, Rezaur Rahman is said to have confronted a coordinator, Hasnat Abdullah, over alleged interference in medical operations.

The situation escalated when injured protesters demonstrated outside the hospital. Publicly admonished, Hasnat Abdullah reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the director’s behavior.

Further fueling speculations is the January 6 suspension of 15 BSMMU staff members, including two doctors, nurses, and other personnel, following accusations of involvement in a killing during the protests. Critics of Rezaur Rahman had previously linked him to staff alleged to be sympathetic to the movement. Observers see a possible connection between the suspensions and the director’s reassignment shortly thereafter.

The official circular states that Brigadier General Mosleh Uddin, an officer of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, will assume the position immediately, while Brigadier General Rezaur Rahman will return to the Bangladesh Army for a new posting.

Issued by order of the President, the directive emphasizes its immediate effect and has been circulated to relevant government offices, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Secretary of the Health Services Division, for necessary action.