Police round on DCs
Dhaka, July 26 (bdnews24.com) – Senior police officers have questioned the motive behind the negative comments made on Sunday by deputy commissioners about the police, with one officer questioning whether "someone was trying to destabilise" the country.
On the first day of their three-day conference with the government, the DCs urged the prime minster to control the police, form an administrative police force, ensure RAB's representation on the districts' law and order committees and to tackle police's alleged involvement with the illicit drugs trade.
Following widespread media coverage, members of the Police Service Association organised a press conference to respond to the allegations and the points made by the DCs.
Present were the inspector general of police (IGP) Nur Mohammad, additional IGP Nababikram Tripura, RAB director general and association president Hassan Mahmood Khandaker.
Describing the press conference as "not a counter, but a reaction," the RAB DG said, "Such comments from the deputy commissioners might create misunderstanding."
The IGP termed such comments 'unexpected'.
"Someone might have a mentality to make the situation unclear," he alleged, adding that "it is not right to make such a flat comment that all the policemen are involved in corruption."
"We know who is doing what."
The speakers also termed the DCs' call to control the police as contrary to the democratic system. "There is a higher authority to supervise the field-level officials. But the supervision by officials from a separate cadre is unrealistic and irrational," one officer said.
In reply to the demand for police protection of the divisional commissioners, the officials said that there are specific rules regarding this, which cannot be violated.
The police officials also termed the inclusion of RAB officials in the district law committees as "similar to intervening in the police's internal matters."
"RAB is a section of the police, like the SB and CID, governed by the IGP. In the district-levels SPs lead them," an officer said.
Association general secretary Mahfuzul Huq Nuruzzaman said in the current situation, with the war crimes trial, BDR mutiny trial, August 21 grenade attack case, 10-truck arms haul cases all ongoing, "it is necessary to investigate whether someone is trying to destabilise the situation."
He said, "There is no one who can say that everyone in their force is honest."
However citing the case statistics filed with the police, he said, "Around 60 percent of cases are usually filed on land related disputes, where there are people within the administration involved."
On the first day of their three-day conference with the government, the DCs urged the prime minster to control the police, form an administrative police force, ensure RAB's representation on the districts' law and order committees and to tackle police's alleged involvement with the illicit drugs trade.
Following widespread media coverage, members of the Police Service Association organised a press conference to respond to the allegations and the points made by the DCs.
Present were the inspector general of police (IGP) Nur Mohammad, additional IGP Nababikram Tripura, RAB director general and association president Hassan Mahmood Khandaker.
Describing the press conference as "not a counter, but a reaction," the RAB DG said, "Such comments from the deputy commissioners might create misunderstanding."
The IGP termed such comments 'unexpected'.
"Someone might have a mentality to make the situation unclear," he alleged, adding that "it is not right to make such a flat comment that all the policemen are involved in corruption."
"We know who is doing what."
The speakers also termed the DCs' call to control the police as contrary to the democratic system. "There is a higher authority to supervise the field-level officials. But the supervision by officials from a separate cadre is unrealistic and irrational," one officer said.
In reply to the demand for police protection of the divisional commissioners, the officials said that there are specific rules regarding this, which cannot be violated.
The police officials also termed the inclusion of RAB officials in the district law committees as "similar to intervening in the police's internal matters."
"RAB is a section of the police, like the SB and CID, governed by the IGP. In the district-levels SPs lead them," an officer said.
Association general secretary Mahfuzul Huq Nuruzzaman said in the current situation, with the war crimes trial, BDR mutiny trial, August 21 grenade attack case, 10-truck arms haul cases all ongoing, "it is necessary to investigate whether someone is trying to destabilise the situation."
He said, "There is no one who can say that everyone in their force is honest."
However citing the case statistics filed with the police, he said, "Around 60 percent of cases are usually filed on land related disputes, where there are people within the administration involved."
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