PABNA, June 16, (V7N) – Five officials and employees of the Bera Water Development Department (Paubo) in Pabna have been accused of leaving their offices empty and going to Dhaka without taking official leave. According to sources, they have been in Dhaka for two days to face questioning in a case filed in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on March 5 this year. The absence of these officials from the workplace for two days without permission is reportedly disrupting the normal functioning of the office.

Those who went to Dhaka are Deputy Assistant Engineers Mr. Atiq Hossain, Mr. Habibur Rahman, Mr. Suruj Mondal, Assistant Engineer Mr. Russell Fakir, and Office Assistant cum Computer Typist Mr. Taufiqur Rahman. Case number CR-308/2026 (Tejgaon) has named 12 people, including these five officials. The court directed the Detective Branch of the Tejgaon Division of DMP to investigate, and the investigating officer sent them a notice to appear on June 15 with necessary documents for interrogation.

On Tuesday afternoon, when a reporter visited the Bera Paubo office, four of the five officials were not found in their offices. However, Assistant Engineer Mr. Russell Fakir was present and said he had gone to Dhaka on June 15 and returned at night. When asked about leave, he claimed he had taken "verbal leave." Mr. Atiq Hossain, when contacted on his mobile phone, denied being in Dhaka, claiming he was in Nagarbari for office work and made various excuses to avoid meeting.

Mr. Habibur Rahman also claimed he went to Dhaka and returned at night and had informed authorities verbally. Both avoided meeting the reporter by making various excuses. Executive Engineer of Paubo Bera Water Development Department Md. Zahidul Islam said that sometimes officers ask for verbal permission for work, which is usually granted and later approved. He claimed the five had taken verbal permission.

Superintendent Engineer of Pabna Water Development Circle Sudhanshu Kumar Sarkar said permission from authorities is mandatory for going outside the workplace, whether verbal or written. "There is no chance of not taking permission. However, if we receive any complaint that they have gone to Dhaka without permission, we will investigate and take action," he said. The incident has raised questions about workplace discipline and accountability within the department.

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