Withdrawal of 24 Cops
Home ordered, police ignored
A home ministry order passed a week ago to withdraw 24 police officers including a deputy inspector general (DIG) could not be executed as the police department differed with the decision.
The police headquarters thought the order needed a review, as wholesale withdrawal of officers amid the present political unrest might create an adverse impact on the department. Besides, the police HQ thought it would also be a bit of injustice to the officers concerned, insiders say.
The home ministry sources say the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) made the decision based on several allegations including violation of chain of command and mysteriously poor performance during the anarchy created by Jamaat-Shibir.
The PMO also ordered the ministry to launch investigations into the 24 police officers' affairs immediately after closing them and keep a constant watch on their movement.
The sources say the PMO told the home ministry that it would be provided with all the allegations against those officers.
However, the police HQ, which received the ministry's order on March 24, did not pass any written or verbal order in fear of adverse impact on the department, sources add.
Speaking anonymously, a home ministry high official said, “Several top police officers have opposed execution of the order saying it will hamper the government's efforts to maintain law and order amid the present volatile political situation.”
He added, “The government largely depends on police to tackle anarchy by the opposition though the BGB [Boarder Guard Bangladesh], Ansar and Rapid Action Battalion personnel are also deployed. So, at the moment the ministry is going slow on the issue.”
Contacted, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker at first claimed that no such order had been issued.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that The Daily Star had obtained a copy of the order, he said they were reviewing the matter.
The police boss denied giving details in this regard.
Talking to The Daily Star, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku suggested talking to the home secretary and the IGP, saying he could not “recall” the matter precisely.
However, the state minister on March 25 told The Daily Star that the decision of closing the police officers was taken on the basis of information provided by the police HQ to make policing more effective.
The Daily Star talked to a number of the police officers concerned. They said they had not got any such order from the HQ.
Of them, Khulna range DIG Mezbah Uddin Ahmed and Dinajpur SP Devdas Bhattachariya said they had learned about the order through media but did not receive any written or verbal order.
The home ministry on March 24 issued two orders to the police HQ asking for immediate withdrawal of the 24 officers, including one DIG, three SPs, one deputy commissioner, one ASP, 17 officers-in-charge and one sub-inspector.
The officers included the Khulna range DIG, Dinajpur SP, Satkhira SP Md Asaduzzaman, Gaibandha SP AKM Nahidul Islam and DC (South) of Khulna Metropolitan Police Hasan Mahmud Shawkat Ali.
The OCs included in the order are from the areas where Jamaat-Shibir went on the rampage.
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