Eight Sylhet Medical University officials sent to jail

A Sylhet court has sent eight officials and employees of Sylhet Medical University (SMU) to jail in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), rejecting their bail petitions.

Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge Munshi Abdul Majid passed the order on Sunday (January 25), after the accused surrendered before the court and sought bail, ACC Public Prosecutor Mohammad Shafiul Alam confirmed.

Those sent to jail include Procurement Officer Abdul Munim, Section Officer Rinku Das, Chowdhury Rumman Ahmed, Lokman Ahmed, Administrative Officer Suranjit Ranjan Talukdar, Rabiul Alam Bakul, Mohammad Rashedul Islam, and office assistant-cum-computer operator Ruhul Amin.

ACC sources said several other SMU officials had earlier been sent to jail in the same case after their bail pleas were rejected.

The case stems from allegations of widespread irregularities and corruption in staff recruitment at SMU. On April 24, 2025, a court issued arrest warrants against 58 people, including the university’s former vice-chancellor and acting registrar, after the ACC submitted its charge sheet.

According to the case documents, between 2019 and 2022, SMU appointed 220 officials and employees on an ad-hoc basis without issuing recruitment notices or securing mandatory approvals from the syndicate and the University Grants Commission (UGC), repeatedly extending their tenure in violation of the Sylhet Medical University Act, 2018.

The ACC also alleged illegal appointments to 141 additional posts without UGC approval, payment of salaries from the health ministry’s development budget, recruitment of ineligible candidates, unlawful promotions, and abuse of power by senior university officials.