Chittagong Police Chief Removes Officer After Just Seventeen Days

The Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) has withdrawn the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadarghat Police Station, Muhammad Sharif, a mere seventeen days after he assumed control of the station. The swift administrative action follows a wave of serious allegations against the officer, spanning political bias, extortion, and systemic corruption. The decision was formalized on Sunday evening, resulting in the immediate reassignment of the officer to the Dampara Police Lines.

The removal order was officially signed and issued by the Acting CMP Commissioner, Wahidul Haque Chowdhury. Alongside the immediate transfer, the police high command has constituted a formal inquiry committee, headed by a Deputy Police Commissioner. The internal investigation unit has been tasked with conducting a thorough probe into the allegations and must submit its findings within seven working days.

Ministerial Intervention Sparks Internal Investigation

The rapid downfall of the senior officer was precipitated by a semi-official (DO) letter sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs by Mir Shahe Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives. The state minister’s letter detailed numerous administrative irregularities and misconduct allegedly tied to the officer. Following this high-level intervention, Nasrin Sultana, the Deputy Secretary of the Police-2 branch at the Ministry of Home Affairs, dispatched a formal request to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding an immediate investigation and appropriate legal remedies. The CMP high command moved to withdraw the officer as soon as the ministry’s directive reached the headquarters.

The ministry’s correspondence highlighted that various media reports and investigative dossiers pointed to deeply entrenched misconduct by Muhammad Sharif. The formal complaints lodged against him include corruption, extortion, illegal financial transactions, accumulation of wealth beyond known sources of income, and the blatant abuse of administrative power to serve personal and partisan interests. The home ministry has requested to be fully briefed on the subsequent disciplinary actions taken based on the upcoming inquiry report.

A History of Transfers and Vehement Denials

Muhammad Sharif has firmly rejected all accusations directed at him, claiming to be the victim of a coordinated smear campaign. He argued that the controversy stems from a single photograph taken during his previous tenure as the Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli Police Station, where he attended the wedding of a local Awami League leader’s daughter. According to Sharif, malicious actors are leveraging that social photograph to manufacture a narrative of political bias. He maintains that he has never engaged in any financial irregularities or compromised his professional integrity. Journalists attempted to reach State Minister Mir Shahe Alam via telephone and WhatsApp messaging for further clarification, but the minister did not respond to queries.

This sudden removal marks yet another turbulent chapter in the officer’s recent career path within the Chittagong Metropolitan Police. Sharif was appointed to lead the Sadarghat Police Station on 18 June, arriving from the CMP’s Estate and Building branch. His career trajectory reveals a series of rapid reassignments over the last year. Prior to his brief stint in the Estate and Building branch—where he was posted on 14 December 2025 from the City Special Branch (CTSB)—he had served as the Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli Police Station following a period in the Detective Branch (DB). The current investigation will determine whether his career faces permanent disciplinary sanctions or rehabilitation.