Ransacking of joint secretarys room
Deputy sports minister draws flak
DEEPAK ACHARJEE
The incident of ransacking of a joint secretarys room at the ministry in the secretariat by deputy minister for youth and sports, Arif Khan Joy, was reported to the top rung of the administration.
After the incident that took place on Sunday, secretary of the ministry of youth and sports, Noor Muhammad, informed the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and the Cabinet Secretary about the matter, and conveyed the feelings of officials aggrieved by the action of the deputy minister. But no immediate action was taken against the deputy minister for his unbecoming behaviour.
Talking to this correspondent, Noor Muhammad said they did not expect such behaviour from the deputy minister, also a former captain of the national football team. Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the principal secretary is handling the matter. We always expect good behaviour from ministers, he added.
But talking to The Independent Arif Khan Joy denied having vandalised the joint secretarys room on Sunday, and said it was a conspiracy against him. This has been fabricated to malign me, he said. He claimed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina likes him, and that cannot be considered to be a fault of his.
Others are doing such things to spoil my prospect of promotion, he claimed. The deputy minister alleged that a cabinet member was behind the tirade against him as he tried to stop his unethical activities.
According to ministry officials, deputy minister Joy had lost his temper because his name did not appear in a banner put up at the National Youth Day programme on Sunday.
Joy expressed his displeasure at not finding his name.
When he got up to leave the auditorium, officials pleaded with him to stay on. He then went to the room of joint secretary Mashuk Mia, broke a computer, threw down documents and kicked the table, the officials added.
