A section of Open Market Sale (OMS) dealers has accused Khulna District Food Controller Md Tanvir Hossain of multiple acts of corruption, including leaking recruitment exam question papers.
Sources said Tanvir allegedly sold leaked exam papers for Tk5 crore during the recent recruitment test for third-class employees.
Aggrieved OMS dealers have recently submitted a memorandum to the concerned ministry through the deputy commissioner (DC) of Khulna, demanding Tanvir’s immediate removal. The victims and dealers staged a human chain protest in front of the DC office. The DC reportedly identified various irregularities during the recruitment process and formally sought an investigation by the food secretary.
According to multiple complaints, Tanvir extended the contracts of several expired labour-handling contractors by allegedly misleading higher authorities on September 30. It is claimed that he received Tk50 lakh from eight LSD depots, Tk2 crore from the Maheshwarpasha warehouse contractor, and Tk50 lakh from the Khulna CSD contractor in exchange for these illegal extensions.
Furthermore, Tanvir allegedly increased billing rates by 20% for contractors and demanded 10% of the inflated amount as kickbacks, causing substantial financial losses to the government. He is also accused of taking bribes from milling and transport contractors, and of illegally fining OMS dealers without valid reasons to legitimize his actions. For instance, he fined Tk58,000 to dealer Salam Dhali and Tk15,000 to Manjuara Begum, reportedly without justification.
Other allegations state that he ordered Tk1,000 per ton in illegal payments from flour mill owners in exchange for wheat allocations under the Open Market Sale (OMS) program. With approximately 1,600 tons of wheat distributed monthly in the district, he is believed to have collected around Tk16 lakh in bribes from this source alone. Within just six weeks of joining Khulna, Tanvir is alleged to have accumulated Tk10 crore through bribes across various sectors.
Complainants also say he filed a false police report to harass those who protested against him. The report (GD No. 1758, dated September 31, 2025) was allegedly filed by Food Inspector Momtaz Parvin on his orders against student activists Asadullah Galib and Fardin Ehsan, former joint coordinators of the Metropolitan Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, who had spoken out against him.
Tanvir has also been accused of violating official discipline—reportedly staying in luxury hotels such as Hotel City Inn and Tiger Garden instead of the government guest house, and commuting between Dhaka and Khulna by air. He is said to arrive at the office around noon and stay until late at night, collecting illegal payments from contractors and dealers during extended hours.
Allegations follow Tanvir across multiple postings, including Kishoreganj, Tangail, Cox’s Bazar, and Barguna. He allegedly left behind audit objections worth Tk11 crore in Tangail and was transferred as punishment. In Kishoreganj, significant foodgrain shortages were discovered under his watch, and a warehouse was sealed before being illicitly reopened to cover up discrepancies.
Student representative Abdur Rahman said Tanvir’s actions had gone unchecked for too long: “He is collecting Tk500–1,000 from every dealer. We demand an immediate investigation and removal.”
However, Tanvir Hossain denied all allegations, saying he had merely enforced strict measures against corruption. “I penalized dealers involved in irregularities, which upset old networks of corruption,” he claimed.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Toufiqur Rahman confirmed minor procedural issues during the exam but said there was no evidence of question paper leakage. He has written to the Ministry seeking clarification.
On October 19, a group of aggrieved OMS dealers held a human chain demanding Tanvir’s removal and later submitted a memorandum to the Adviser to the Ministry of Food.
In contrast, on October 20, a separate group of newly appointed dealers held a counter-protest, accusing the “old, corrupt dealers” of running a smear campaign against the district food officer.
