The government has compulsorily retired 33 more senior officials of the Bangladesh Police, bringing the total number of high-ranking police officers sent into forced retirement over the past two and a half months to 63.

The latest decision was announced in a gazette notification issued on Sunday by the Police-1 Branch of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The notification, signed by Senior Secretary Monjur Morshed Chowdhury, said the retirements were made in the "public interest" under Section 45 of the Government Service Act, 2018.

The officials retired include 14 Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), 18 Additional Deputy Inspectors General (Additional DIGs), and one Superintendent of Police (SP). They had been serving in different police ranges and specialised units, including the Police Academy, the Anti-Terrorism Unit, the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), and other formations.

According to the notification, the retired officers will receive all retirement benefits in accordance with existing rules, and the order takes immediate effect.

Among the DIGs retired are Mollah Nazrul Islam, Md Saiful Islam, Miraj Uddin Ahmed, Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman, SM Mostak Ahmed Khan, Jihadul Kabir, Moinul Haque, Md Ilyas Sharif, Shyamal Kumar Nath, Md Zakir Hossain Khan, Md Shah Abid Hossain, Md Jamil Hasan, Md Mahbubur Rahman and Md Moniruzzaman. The notification also includes 18 Additional DIGs and SP Abdullah Aref.

The government notification further states that two of the retired DIGs—Mollah Nazrul Islam and Md Saiful Islam are currently under arrest.

The move follows a series of similar administrative decisions affecting the upper ranks of the police force. Earlier, 13 senior police officials were compulsorily retired on April 22, followed by another 17 on May 3. With the latest order, the total number of senior officers retired under the provision has risen to 63 within about two and a half months.

While the government said the decision was taken in the public interest, the notification did not specify any individual reasons for the retirements.

Section 45 of the Government Service Act, 2018 empowers the government to retire a public servant in the public interest after completion of 25 years of service.