Police didn't ask for help from anyone

Inspector General of Police Mohammad Javed Patwary yesterday said they did not ask anyone to take part in police action during the recent student protest as the force was capable of maintaining law and order under any situation. 

He was responding to a journalist's query about the identities of helmeted youths who wielded machetes, iron rods and sticks on several occasions during the protest. 

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“We never asked anyone to join us. If needed, we will call upon the law-abiding people to join us,” he said.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Police Headquarters, Javed avoided answering a question about the identities of the youths.  

The briefing was organised to inform the media about the law and order on the occasion of the National Mourning Day and Eid-ul-Azha.

According to media reports, youths believed to be ruling Awami League men attacked students, journalists and even pedestrians, especially during protests in the capital's Dhanmondi on August 4 and 5 when chase and counter chase took place between students and the youths.

Many of the youths were captured by cameras in action, but none of them was yet to be brought to book.  

Another reporter asked the IGP why his force was failing to arrest those youths who brutally beat up on-duty journalists in board daylight and that too at a time when police were picking up people through cyber patrolling over spreading rumours. 

Javed said there was no instance in many places in the world that police could do everything in a day. “Some incidents may take one hour [to investigate and resolve] and some others may take several days.” 

The IGP said he has already instructed the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to this end and a DB team, led by an additional commissioner, was working to scrutinise footage and other information to identify the responsible people.

Asked why the policemen were mere onlookers when journalists came under attack, he said the DB team would look into whether any policeman neglected his duties.

In this regard, the police chief said some law enforcers and police establishments were also attacked during the protest.

There were logical reasons behind the student movement that began following the death of two college students on July 29 and the police assisted them, he added.

But the movement was “hijacked” later and a “third party” infiltrated into it. They spread rumours using social media, circulated photographs of old incidents, mentioning those were of “murdered and raped students”, Javed said.

Those who were not students and had political motives were in the “third party”, he said.  

The police chief warned that law enforcers would not spare those who spread rumours. Several hundred people have been identified and 21 cases have been filed in this regard, he mentioned.

He urged the people to spread truth and asked them not to make chaos in the peaceful country.

Javed said they would take legal actions against Bangladeshi expatriates for spreading propaganda on social media.