Staff Reporter:
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday asked the police to regain people’s trust, say-ing that the law enforcing agency must have to play a significant role in holding a free and fair election.
“We know police have various limitations and challenges – manpower and logistic shortage and inefficient budget, etc. But minimizing the distance to be created between police and people dur-ing the 16 years and reviving the people’s trust in police force is our biggest challenge,” he said.
The chief adviser made the remarks while speaking at the inaugural session of Police Week-2025 at Rajarbagh Police Auditorium as the chief guest.
He said restoring people’s trust in police is not difficult, while the distance would be let up with the efforts from all levels.
Prof Yunus said from the grassroots level, police must work to achieve confidence of commoners and the government would provide all necessary supports to this end.
Referring to his several speeches that the next general elections would be held between December this year and June 2026, he said the role of police is very important in holding the polls in fair and peaceful manner.
The chief adviser said it is the responsibility of all to create an environment where people can vote freely.
He asked police to show equal attitudes to all candidates during the polls.
Prof Yunus said when the interim government assumed power in August last, the country’s law enforcing agencies were in a fragile state.
Distance between people and police was created and that was why the government took all neces-sary steps to improve the situation, he said.
He also said measures were taken to ease suffering of people on roads and special drives were con-ducted and necessary stimulus measures were taken to improve the mental strength of police.
With the hard works of police, Prof Yunus said Durga Puja, Bishwa Ijtema, Eid-ul-Fitr, Bangla Nababarsha and other festivals were observed peacefully.
The country’s law and order has been brought under control due to efforts taken by the law enforc-ing agencies, he said.
The chief adviser also urged the police to play a strong role in preventing violence against women, ensuring that women from all classes and professions get support from police by calling to police hotline.
About the role of police in the country’s liberation war, he said in the black night at Rajarbagh Po-lice Lines on March 25 in 1971, just prior to beginning the liberation war, Bengali police members waged an armed resistance for the first time and this history could not be forgotten.
In the history of Bangladesh Police, it is a chapter of great proud, he added.
Paying tribute to the police members who were martyred in the 1971 liberation war, he said for ages it was the great aspiration of people that rights of all would be established and there would not be any discrimination.
The law enforcing agencies must play a big role in fulfilling this aspiration, he added.
The chief adviser said as police force was used as partisan force during the deposed autocratic re-gime, all systems of the country were destroyed.
In following the illegal and unfair orders of the autocratic (Awami League) government, the police force fell massively in public anger, while many honest police member had to pay to this end, he said.
Asking the police forces not to be used by anyone, Prof Yunus said if a person is elected through unfair means and irregularities, establishment of just and equal society would not be possible.
He said holding a fair and neutral election is crucial so that none can use the police force unjustly in future.
Saying that the time before polls is very important, he directed the police to remain alert so that the defeated forces could not destabilise the country in any way.
The Chief Adviser said an evil quarter is trying its best to break the unity of the country’s people so “you should always stay alert to resist it to protect the nation”.
Terming police the friends of commoners, he said the police force must establish this image de-spite being hard to do.
