He resigned Monday last on advice of the Prime Minister on the alleged
ground of his involvement in a bribery scandal. It came as a big
humiliation to Suranjit having a 55 year eventful political career at
the back.

He looked fragile and diminished when he made the announcement of the
resignation at the Railway Bhavan in the city. But to the utter
disbelief of the nation the Prime minister took him back to the cabinet.
Even it happened to the disbelief of the fallen minister as he jumped
back to smile again combative.

This melodrama started when
Suranjit was visibly identified in a reported bribery scandal which
unfolded at the Peelkana BGB gate in the city on April 9 midnight.
Railway Minister’s APS Omar Faruque, GM Yusul Ali Mridha and the
Ministery’s security commandant Enamul Haque were caught with a cash of
Tk 70 lakhs at the spot when driver Ali Azam of the car in which they
were traveling suddenly drove it inside the BGB headquarters and asked
the on-duty army personnel to search it. He said the Railway personnel
were carrying huge illegal money.

The money was immediately discovered from the car’s bonnet. On
questioning, they said they were going to the Railway Minister’s home to
hand over the cash.

Electronic and print media got the information instantly as the event
was unfolding and some TV channel put the images in the air immediately.
Online news agencies also carried it to global network that night.
Suranjit was overpowered by the rash of the events and media reports.

He dipped into a sea-size corruption scandal in the Railway, besides
other corruption allegations covering his son’s newly acquitted telecom
license and public land grabbing at his home constituency.

The reported bribery scandal as the first such incidence highlighting a
minister’s involvement in rent seeking, bribery and job selling touched
the conscience of the nation. He became the talk of the table in the
next few days throughout the country when public outcry demanded probes
into his role in the scam, besides that of his son’s newly acquired
assets and business.

Suranjit went out of media contact in the next two days as he kept
waiting for the Prime Minister’s to return home from her Turkey visit.
On return she summoned him at the Gonobhavan on the night of Pahela
Baisak after consulting the president, senior ministers and advisers and
advised him to resign. The minister however dismissed such claims, no
direct or indirect link he said, even when he resigned from the cabinet.


His resignation however became morally incumbent, besides facilitating a
free and fair investigation into the financial involvement of the
minister, his son and the family as news reports disclosed unusual
deposits and transactions in his and the family’s bank accounts.  

Suranjit claimed he was victim of a conspiracy to undo his rejuvenation
programme of the country’s railways.  On political pressure BGB also
released all three railway personnel with the cash next day as police
also did not come forward to take a case and take custody of the cash.

Suranjit tried to defend the APS initially saying the money belonged to
him. But as pressure started mounting, he sacked him and put the two
other railway officials on temporary suspension. He also set up two hand
picked probe committees to investigate into the incidence. He kept on
saying if these committees find his involvement in the scandal, he would
resign.

These committees were just eyewash measures. The first committee was
headed by his PS to investigate into the charges against his APS. The
second committee was formed to probe into GM Mridha and Commandant
Enamul Haque with a railway joint secretary whose corruption scandal
topped headlines of local newspapers when he was Deputy Commissioner of
Madaripur last year.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also opened investigations into the
railway men role in the scandal at a time allegations also galore to the
fact that GM Mridha and his agents had collected crores of taka from
job aspirants in the Railway.

Railway Sramik League leaders came out at a press conference at
Chittagong Press Club immediately after the unfolding of the scandal to
disclose that GM Mridha and his agents have collected at least Tk 10
crore from job aspirants. Moreover, in taking the money they have
clearly said they have to give the money to the minister at the top to
clear their names on the list of recruitment.

There are also allegations about the source of funding of a telecom firm
that Suranjit’s son is going to set up on obtaining an operating
license from the regulatory body only two weeks ago.

He deposited Tk 5 crore for the purpose. Moreover the setting up of the
business would require at least Tk 40 crore and where the money is
coming from.

Suranjit has grabbed Waqf land along with other land in his home
constituency. He has opened the Sengupta Trade Center at the local town
only few days ago and the land on which the market has been set up is
also reportedly based on false deeds.

People were demanding his resignation. It is important, critics say to
allow a free investigation by a judicial body, in addition to ACC and
such other committees. But his return to the cabinet will impede these
investigations, they say.  Moreover, the ACC can’t investigate into a
Minister if the President does not give permission. On his return to the
cabinet such prospects of probing into his or his son’s assets and
source of income appear distant. 

Meanwhile, the departmental investigations committees have started
working. Omar Faruque told the committee that the money belonged to him.
Others said they were not aware of the money in the car, or have not
seen it at all.

They told the same story to the ACC last week. The probe committees said
nobody has spoken so far on the Minister’s involvement and so no
investigation has been ordered  against him.

Reports said BGB has not only released the three railway men next day,
they have also released the money and APS Omar Faruque has already
deposited the money to his banks.

He may face the revenue authorities (NBR) charge now for holding
unaccounted money, but as far as the bribery scandal is concerned, it
may remain untraced as things are now developing. There is no police
case and no eye-witness either. BGB remained tight lipped.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the lone witness driver Ali Azam also
remains shrouded with mystery. He may be in the custody of the
intelligence agencies or elsewhere. It is not clear if the BGB has
passed him to any third party custody. He is the only witness to the
scam and he is also required to explain why he handed over his bosses to
the BGB check posts.

It also remains a mystery why the probe committees are not asking the
BGB to produce driver Ali Azam before them. Why Railway is not clearing
the whereabouts of its driver at a time the accused are about to be set
free from charges in absence of a witness.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may have planned the whole thing this way.

She asked Suranjit to resign as an eye wash to calm public outcry. His
return to the cabinet may be justified now in absence of any proof that a
bribery or his involvement to such things has at all taken place.

But the question remains whether the people will exonerate him or treat
the entire cabinet now with more suspect. The opposition has therefore
asked the Prime Minister to seek an apology to the nation.