Exclusive | 118 Promotions, Zero Hindus: Is Yunus Turning Bangladesh Bureaucracy Into A Closed Club?

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 12:26 IST

The timing - just months before national polls - has added to the controversy, with critics alleging that the Yunus administration is consolidating control over the bureaucracy.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. (Reuters)

In what is being seen as yet another signal of deepening institutional marginalisation of minorities in Bangladesh, News18 has accessed the full list of 118 senior bureaucrats promoted by the Muhammad Yunus-led administration ahead of the upcoming national elections. A striking detail stands out: not a single Hindu officer features among those elevated, raising serious questions about representation, inclusion and the direction of governance in post-Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh.

The promotions, notified on January 27, elevate officers from the rank of Joint Secretary to Additional Secretary, a crucial decision-making tier in Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) – their equivalent to India’s IAS. The timing – just months before national polls – has added to the controversy, with critics alleging that the Yunus administration is consolidating control over the bureaucracy while systematically sidelining minority voices.

ZERO HINDU REPRESENTATION IN KEY PROMOTIONS

According to documents accessed by News18, all 118 officers promoted belong to the Muslim majority community.

The list starts with names like Sheikh Matiyar Rahman (Joint Secretary, Capital Development Authority), Dr Syeda Naushin Parnini (Joint Secy, Health, Education & Family Welfare Dept) or Md Shah Alam (Joint Secy, Local Govt Dept). Meanwhile, the list ends with names like Md Shahin NDC (Joint Secy, Overseas Welfare and Foreign Employment Ministry), Md Masood Alam (Joint Secy, Independence related ministry) or Ashraful Islam NDC (Joint Secy, Labour & Employment Ministry).

Senior bureaucratic sources confirm that several eligible Hindu officers were either overlooked or were no longer in service, having forcibly resigned, been dismissed, or eased out following the political churn after Sheikh Hasina’s exit.

“This is not about one promotion list. It is about a pattern," said a former Hindu senior civil servant based out of Dhaka, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing his security. “Hindu officers are increasingly absent from positions of authority. Either they are being forced out or quietly made irrelevant," he adds.

HINDU DOMINATION DURING HASINA? MYTH VS REALITY

During Hasina’s rule, there was a well-crafted narrative in Bangladesh that had wider acceptability that dominance of Hindu officers in the administration was such it was borderline discrimination against Muslims. The reality is that even during that time, no more than 7-8 per cent of the officers in the administration were Hindu, which is less than their proportional representation in the population.

Even the Bangladesh Army doesn’t look very different. The top 10 Generals of the Army don’t have a non-Muslim surname, leave aside a Hindu General. In June 2025, Netra published a demographic finding where it stated, “The Army, too, remains almost exclusively composed of Muslim officers, standing in stark contrast to civilian institutions". According to the data on its website, 99.09 per cent of those who got registered in Bangladesh Army at the time were Muslims with only 0.64 per cent Hindus.

Senior Hindu officers who had attained high ranks — including positions equivalent to Additional Inspector General of Police (Addl IGP) — were removed or sidelined after political transitions. This highlights discrimination in promotions and key postings in key police positions as well. Before August 2023, four Hindu officers held senior leadership roles, including two Additional IGPs and two Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs). After the interim government took over, three of these senior Hindu officers were reportedly forced into retirement or removed from command posts, and the remaining officer was reassigned away from an influential role, portraying a broader pattern.

As Bangladesh heads into a crucial election, the composition of its power structures is increasingly under scrutiny. For many Hindus, the message from the latest promotion list appears unmistakable: their place in the system is shrinking – and fast.

News world Exclusive | 118 Promotions, Zero Hindus: Is Yunus Turning Bangladesh Bureaucracy Into A Closed Club?

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