Foreign mission in KSA: Deputy secy sacked on rape charges

The government sacked a deputy secretary for raping multiple female domestic workers who were sheltered at the safe home of the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

As the allegation of rape against Deputy Secretary Mehedi Hasan, a former counsellor at the embassy, is found to be true, he is dismissed from the job, according to a circular issued by the public administration ministry yesterday.

As per the Government Employees (Discipline and Appeal) Rules-2018, Mehedi will be unfit for any government job in the future.

He was withdrawn from the embassy on January 24, 2021, amid allegations of raping women who were earlier tortured by their Saudi employers.

He was suspended on February 8 that year and asked to explain his conduct the following month.

The public administration ministry later initiated departmental proceedings, and an investigation found that he asked the women vulgar questions and raped them.

Mehedi was then asked to explain why he should not be handed a severe punishment. But his reply was unsatisfactory.

Bangladesh Public Service Commission agreed to the public administration ministry's decision of sacking him.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin also approved the dismissal order.