Tahsan topping BCS exam only a rumour
Recently, Tahsan Rahman Khan, a renowned singer and actor known for his decade-long career in the entertainment industry, came under the spotlight, but this time for a different reason altogether.
Rumours circulating, particularly on Facebook, claimed that Tahsan had ranked first in the Foreign Service cadre in the 24th BCS exam when his mother, Dr Zeenatun Nesa Tahmida Begum, was the (Bangladesh Public Service Commission) PSC chairman.
The rumour got more traction as it came at the time of question leaks in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exams and 30 other recruitment exams over the past 12 years, leading to the arrest of 17 individuals, including three officers of PSC and former chauffeur Syed Abed Ali.
Despite being a chauffeur, Abed Ali, a resident of Dasar Upazila in Madaripur district, allegedly amassed a fortune worth millions, according to various media reports.
Social media posts further claimed that the infamous driver was Dr Zeenatun Nesa Tahmida Begum's chauffeur during her term as PSC chair.
Rumours also suggested that Tahsan took the BCS exam, topped it during his mother's tenure, and was later excluded from the final selection due to corruption, leading to a re-interview.
Some media outlets published reports based on these claims.
But it seems it's all a lie.
So far, no media outlet has been able to independently verify the claim of Tahsan using nepotism and cheating to secure a top position in the exam.
Additionally, although several Facebook posts referenced mainstream media outlets RTV and Samakal, no such reports were found on these platforms.
Further investigation by the fact-checking website "Rumor Scanner" revealed that the 24th BCS exam was immediately cancelled followed by the preliminary exam due to allegations of question leaks.
Their investigation confirmed that Kazi Ehsanul Haque secured the first position, not Tahsan.
While the news of Tahsan topping the exam might be false, his mother, Dr Zeenatun Nesa Tahmida Begum, did face allegations of leaked question papers during her term as PSC chair.
Her resignation was demanded following the alleged leak of question papers for the 25th Bangladesh Civil Service exam in 2005, different media reported.