Sacked police personnel form human chain, demand reinstatement

Police personnel who were sacked during the Awami League-led government formed a human chain in front of Police Headquarters in Dhaka today, demanding reinstatement to service.

The demonstrators alleged that many of them were dismissed over minor issues. They later challenged the decisions at the Administrative Tribunal and won their cases, with the verdicts subsequently upheld by the Administrative Appellate Tribunal.

Speaking at the programme, dismissed sub-inspector Zakaria Mostafa said, “We got verdicts from the courts, but Police Headquarters is not implementing them. Instead, steps are being taken to move the cases to higher courts.”

He claimed that in several instances, disciplinary actions were taken over social media activities, including comments and status updates. “Losing our jobs over such minor issues has put us in severe hardship,” he said.

Zakaria further alleged that despite having verdicts in their favour from both tribunals, the authorities were opting to file Civil Petitions for Leave to Appeal (CPL) with the Supreme Court, which could significantly delay the resolution.

“A case in the Supreme Court can take seven to ten years to be finally disposed of. This prolonged process is extremely difficult for us,” he added.

The speakers also claimed that earlier, around 130 to 150 police personnel were reinstated based on similar tribunal verdicts. However, several hundred others with comparable rulings are now being denied the same opportunity.

“We all have similar verdicts. There should be no discrimination in implementing them,” sacked constable Uzzal said.

The demonstrators urged the government and senior police officials to implement the court verdicts and reinstate them without further delay.