The appointment of retired secretary Ehsan Elahi as Deputy Secretary General of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has sparked questions and controversy on social media. In a Facebook post, Faruk Mahmud alleged that Elahi was appointed to the important position despite allegedly bypassing the recruitment rules and not appearing for the recruitment interview. However, these allegations require independent verification.

The post highlights several key positions held by Ehsan Elahi during his career. According to the writer, Elahi served in a number of senior positions in important state institutions during the Awami League government.

The post states that Elahi was appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) in 2019 under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry. He was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), one of the country’s major state-owned corporations, in January 2021.

In June 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Secretary and subsequently served as Chairman of the Land Reform Board. In August of the same year, he was appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The post further claims that, in his capacity as Secretary, Elahi played an important role in implementing government labour policies and addressing labour unrest, including issues involving the country’s garment sector.

Questions have also been raised about his post-retirement appointment. According to the Facebook post, after completing his regular service in November 2023, Elahi was appointed on a contractual basis for another six months as Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The post claims that the remaining period of his contractual appointment was later cancelled on February 8, 2024, following his own request.

The writer has interpreted Elahi’s consecutive appointments to several senior positions as an indication of a strong professional and administrative relationship with the political and policy-making leadership of the then Awami League government. His appointment to the Red Crescent position is subsequently portrayed as an example of the continued influence of the former administrative establishment following the country’s political transition.

However, allegations of political affiliation or irregularities in the recruitment process should not be treated as established facts without verification. The recruitment circular, applicable appointment rules, interview records and an official statement from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society would be necessary to establish whether the recruitment process was conducted properly.

The controversy on social media therefore goes beyond Ehsan Elahi’s previous government positions. The central question is whether the appointment process at an important humanitarian organisation such as the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society was conducted in a transparent, rule-based and politically neutral manner.