Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Withdrawn After Alleged Protocol Breach During PM Visit
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Yusuf Ali was withdrawn from his post Tuesday following alleged unprofessional conduct during the prime minister’s visit to the city, according to sources in the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Public Administration.
Ali was placed under the ministry’s attachment through an official notification issued Tuesday evening. He was also stand-released and instructed to return to Dhaka as soon as possible, public administration sources said.
According to the sources, Ali was directed to leave Rajshahi at about 7:30 p.m. and departed for Dhaka around 11 p.m.
The action followed an incident at Shah Makhdum Airport as the prime minister prepared to leave Rajshahi. A video circulating on social media shows Ali stepping out of the line of officials gathered to see off the prime minister and raising his left hand toward the prime minister’s back. The prime minister appears to move away and gesture for Ali to keep his distance, while members of the prime minister’s security detail move toward the commissioner.
The official transfer notification did not specify the reason for Ali’s withdrawal. However, sources in the Cabinet Division and public administration described the conduct as unprofessional.
The prime minister arrived at Shah Makhdum Airport around 2:55 p.m. on Tuesday and addressed a public rally at Madrasa Maidan. The premier later visited a Durga Puja mandap in Rajshahi before returning to the airport. The flight departed at about 6:55 p.m.
Ali was appointed Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner on Aug. 19, 2026. Before taking up the post, he served as a member-director, holding the rank of additional secretary, at the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.
