DHAKA, Aug 27, 2025 (BSS) - The Home Ministry in a statement today protested false and misleading news about a police officer Nihar Ranjan Howlader in various media outlets including online portals and private television channels.  
 
The statement said the news which claimed that a police officer named Nihar Ranjan Howlader has been stripped of his post superintendent of police of SB and made an additional SP for not paying a loan of about Tk 7 lakh, is false and misleading as well. 
 
The Home Ministry on August 26, 2025 knew about publication of the false and misleading news about Police Officer Nihar Ranjan Howlader on various online news portals including RTV, Desh TV, Dainik Ittefaq, Dainik Kaler Kantho and Bangladesh Pratidin, it said.
 
"But the real truth is - his post was not demoted or stripped of his post for not paying the loan," the statement said.
 
Three departmental cases were registered against Nihar Ranjan Howlader for various offences at different times during his service career, it said, adding that one of which is non-payment of loan - in which the allegations were proved after proper investigation.
 
The police officer was reprimanded under sub-rule (1) (a) of sub-rule (2) of 4(2) of the same rules on the charge of misconduct.
 
A notification was issued in this connection on August 21 last under memorandum number 240 signed by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nasimul Ghani.
 
In another departmental case, Nihar Ranjan Howlader was sentenced to 'demotion to a lower grade' for three years in a notification signed by the then Senior Secretary of the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry, Md. Mostafizur Rahman, on 22 June 2023.
 
Moreover, in another (third) departmental case, as the allegations against him were proven through investigation, a notification was issued in Memorandum No. 217 on December 8 in 2024, in accordance with sub-rule (1) (d) of 4(2) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018, to 'demotion to a lower step in the pay grade for one year' and this pay will not be adjusted in future.
 
Based on the above information and evidence, it is reasonably apparent that the news published on various online news portals including RTV, DeshTV, Dainik Ittefaq, Dainik Kaler Kantho, Bangladesh Pratidin online news portals is untrue and misleading - which is not at all desirable, the statement said.
 
The above-mentioned online news portals are requested to publish the "reply letter" in full, it added.