The drop-outs of the 43rd BCS are invited to submit applications for review

The authorities have announced their willingness to accept review applications from any of the 227 candidates excluded from the final gazette of the 43rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) recruitment. According to a notification issued by the public administration ministry on Thursday, the exclusions were based on rigorous intelligence agency verifications.

The notification stated, “If any of the 227 candidates temporarily disqualified for recruitment applies for a review, their application will be received. The review application process is open to all.”

This decision follows a sit-in protest held by the excluded candidates in front of the secretariat the previous day and widespread discussions on social media.

During the protest, one candidate shared their frustration with Prothom Alo, saying, “I earned the PSC recommendation after four years of hard work, including tutoring and regular studies. I was thrilled about my new job but was devastated to find myself excluded from the gazette. The public administration ministry has not provided any explanation for our disqualification.”

Another excluded candidate, who requested anonymity, alleged discrimination. “We’re being left out even though there are no cases against us, while our peers move forward with their jobs. Why are we left to suffer like this? We demand to be included in the gazette,” they said.

The public administration ministry issued a revised gazette on December 30, replacing the earlier one from October 15. In this updated gazette, 168 additional candidates were excluded, bringing the total number of dropouts to 267. Meanwhile, the 1,896 gazetted candidates have been directed to join their jobs by January 15.

The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) had initially recommended 2,163 candidates under the 43rd BCS on December 26, 2023. However, this is not the first instance of exclusions in the final gazette. Similar cases occurred in past BCS recruitments, with 67 candidates excluded in the 41st BCS, 34 in the 40th, 61 in the 37th, 75 in the 38th, and 38 in the 36th.