Rajshahi, Mar 02 (V7N) - The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council staged a full-day strike on Sunday (March 2) to protest against the biased and unequal temporary dismissals by the administration cadre and to demand the elimination of inter-cadre discrimination. Officials from 25 different cadres across the country observed the strike in their respective offices.

In Rajshahi, the protesting cadre officials stood in a sit-in demonstration from Zero Point in Saheb Bazar to Rajshahi College between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM, wearing black badges and carrying banners. During the protest, they spoke to journalists and highlighted various forms of discrimination they face.

Officials from the health cadre pointed out that their demands for equality have been overlooked. However, they clarified that the hospital emergency department and other essential services were not included in the strike.

The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council has warned that if their demands are not met within a week, they will announce a stricter movement.

The protest was triggered by the suspension of 12 officers from different cadres for trivial reasons, such as Facebook posts. Protesters claim that no action was taken against administration cadre officials who did the same, proving an institutional bias. They also accused the administration cadre of using discriminatory policies to block public administration reforms and suppress the demands of other cadres.

The protesting officials have put forward 12 key demands, including:

  • Establishment of a function-based ministry (aligning cadres with ministries).
  • Abolition of quotas for Deputy Secretary (DS) appointments, ensuring merit-based selection.
  • Equal treatment of all cadres.
  • Bringing all cadres under a single commission, including education and health cadres.
  • Continuing the Family Planning and Statistics Cadre Service.
  • Canceling the privilege that allows only administrative cadre officers to return to their original service after joining Superior Executive Service.
  • Scrapping the proposal to grant District Commissioners the role of District Magistrates.
  • Renaming the Administrative Service as Land Service or Land Management Service.
  • Renaming the Ministry of Public Administration as Ministry of Human Resource Management or Ministry of Government Personnel Management.
  • Stopping the appointment of administrative cadre officials to commissions like the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
  • Preventing inter-cadre transfers (officials from one cadre should not be transferred to another cadre).
  • Ensuring that only officials from relevant cadres are appointed as Assistant Secretary, Senior Assistant Secretary, and Private Secretary to Ministers.

The protesters argue that these changes are necessary to establish fairness, professionalism, and meritocracy within the civil service system.