Staff Reporter:
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam on Thursday outlined a vision for a more independent police force, underscoring the need to free it from political influence.
“All the members of the force aspire to carry out their duties without political influence,” he said while addressing his maiden press conference as the IGP at the Police Headquarters in the capital.
Admitting significant lapses in police conduct during the protests in July and August, the IGP offered an apology to families of the martyrs. “Some officers violated the law and failed to perform their duties.”
He said the police officers who were involved in the killings during the mass upsurge cannot skip their liability. “They’ll be put on trial as per the law,” he said.
Turning to the cases filed over the mass uprising, he said no one will arbitrarily be arrested if he/she is not involved in any crime. “Innocent people are being harassed. Many influential persons are involved in case trade over 5 August. However, no one can be arrested arbitrarily. If anyone files any false case intentionally, he/she will be brought to justice.”
Asked about the travel alert issued by the UK for its citizens in Bangladesh due to ‘terrorist attack risk,’ Baharul said police do not see any such risk. “Even after that, the force has taken the security alert of the UK with importance.”
In response to another question about police stations being under the influence of a certain quarter, he said they have no information in this regard but will look into it.
The IGP said improper appointments and frequent transfers have weakened the force’s effectiveness. “Since the political transition in Bangladesh, we’ve failed to place the right people in the right roles. On 4 December, we formed mentoring and monitoring committees for each division to address this.”
He said they are working to restore the morale of policemen in the aftermath of the uprising, but it will take time.
Baharul also claimed that they are fully capable of working for a fair election.
In reply to another query, he hinted at bringing those involved in the killings of 44 policemen during the mass uprising to book.
