Mob, pressure from political parties obstructing police from carrying out duties: Police to CA

Pressure from various political parties, along with the surge in mob incidents, is obstructing the police from carrying out their regular duties, senior officials of Bangladesh Police told Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus today (17 March).

The police officials spoke about their current challenges to the CA during a special meeting on law and order issues at the Chief Adviser's Office (CAO) in the capital's Tejgaon, which was attended by 127 senior police officials.

Speaking to The Business Standard on condition of anonymity, a superintendent of the Bangladesh Police, who attended the meeting, said the CA has ordered them to take preparations for the national election.

"The chief adviser has asked the police to prepare for the elections. But we have said that the way policemen are being beaten at the field level, it is not possible for the police to get back on their feet very quickly," the police official told TBS.

"In addition, the regular activities of the police are being hindered due to pressure from various political parties, alongside harassment by mobs. To save the police, the mob must be stopped," the official said.

The police superintendent also said the police asked the CA to ensure that "only the guilty policemen in the July uprising should be brought to justice and the remaining police members should be given the opportunity to work without any hindrance. Only then will the law and order situation return to normal."

Also speaking at the meeting, a deputy inspector general (DIG) of a police range highlighted ways to make police active again.

In addition, police members expressed their regret at the interim government for the vagueness of several issues in the recommendations of the Police Reform Commission and the failure to make some useful recommendations.

At the meeting, Rajshahi Superintendent of Police Farzana Islam requested the interim government to build a permanent residence for the police in Keraniganj.

Another police superintendent demanded an increase in the allocation of police vehicles for patrol duty.

"Sometimes police have to do their duty with broken vehicles. The number of vehicles to arrest suspects and maintain law and order is low, and if the problem of vehicles is not resolved, it will not be possible to create a police force that meets the aspirations of the people after the July uprising," said the official.

Several policemen spoke about the issue of not taking the initiative to form an independent police commission.

Speaking to TBS, several police members who attended the meeting said it is necessary to form an independent police commission to keep the police free from political influence and run it professionally. 

The issue was discussed from the start with the interim government, but the reform commission did not give any outline on this issue, they said.

The reform commission, in its report, stated that decisions on this issue should be made based on expert opinions, inspections and assessments.

Some policemen are disappointed over the lack of a recommendation on the formation of an independent complaints commission to investigate crimes committed by police members, and the failure to include the issue of police reform in the National Consensus Commission, said officials familiar with the matter.

Apart from this, police officials also said that it is not possible to restore the morale of the police if the cases of the police officer killed in the July uprising are not tried.