Background checks underway for police officials from 6 AL-era BCS batches

The Special Branch (SB) of the Bangladesh Police has directed district offices and various units to prepare a report on the political affiliations of several hundred officers from six different batches appointed to the police cadre during the Awami League regime.

Police Headquarters issued a letter to district offices and various units with these instructions on 20 October.

An SB officer, requesting anonymity, told TBS that information on the political affiliations of these officers and their family members has been sought in the letter, seen by TBS.

The letter directs district superintendents of police to gather information on eight specific matters regarding these officers.

The letter instructed a re-verification of the pre-employment resumes of candidates who joined the force through the 28th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 40th, and 41st BCS batches.

Reports are to be prepared by officers of at least superintendent rank, maintaining strict confidentiality, and submitted to the SB's special superintendent with the requested information on these officers, as per the letter.

In addition to basic details, the letter requested information on the officers in question, including their Facebook IDs, mobile numbers, email addresses, and any political affiliations during their time in college, and university.

It also sought the names, addresses, and mobile numbers of at least two friends from their college and university days, along with any possible links to terrorist activities.

The letter further requested comments or opinions from local dignitaries, public representatives, journalists, and former classmates from their school and college years to be included in the reports.

After the Awami League came to power, the 28th BCS batch was the first to be recruited into the Bangladesh Civil Service, joining government service in 2010.

In the 35th BCS batch, 114 officers joined as assistant superintendents of police in 2017, followed by 113 in the 36th batch in 2018, 97 in the 37th batch in 2019, 62 in the 40th batch in 2022, and 100 in the 41st batch in 2024.

Many officers from the 28th batch are now serving as superintendents of police.

When asked about these directives, a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that these officers were already vetted prior to recruitment, and re-verifying now appears aimed at identifying any connections to the Awami League.

"People from the police and two other intelligence agencies visited my home for this report," he added.

He further said, "Being appointed during the Awami League government doesn't mean all officials were staunch supporters or compromised their professional duties. Now, many non-partisan, non-political officers risk losing their jobs because of these reports. It feels like a form of witch-hunting."