A partisan statement by Special Branch chief Monirul Islam drew controversy as a number of citizens said on Sunday that such a statement by a top-ranked police official posted in a very sensitive agency gave strong evidence of whether a free, fair, and neutral election would be possible under this administration.
‘Such a political statement is not expected from the head of a sensitive police agency. At a time when the country is looking forward to a free and fair election, such a statement creates doubt about what is in store for us,’ Shireen Huq, founder of the non-profit Naripokkho, told New Age after watching the video clip of SB chief Monirul Islam.
Monirul criticised the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government between 2001 and 2006 in an oblique way, saying that they did not want to go back to an era when only electric poles were seen standing without any electricity.
Additional inspector general Monirul, also the president of the Bangladesh Police Service Association, made the statement while addressing a meeting organised by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Saturday to observe National Mourning Day, commemorating the 48th anniversary of the assassination of the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The information and broadcasting minister, Hasan Mahmud, the inspector general of police, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and the DMP commissioner, Khandker Golam Faruq, among others, attended the programme at the Rajarbagh Police Lines auditorium.
Citing a number of extremist attacks and attacks on minorities during the BNP government, the SB chief also vowed to resist any ‘anti-state,’ ‘anti-public interest’, ‘undemocratic,’ or ‘extrajudicial’ activities.
The 2.48-minute excerpt of his speech was posted on BanglaVision’s Facebook page, drawing thousands of comments, mostly condemning him.
Watching the video clip, Dhaka University law professor Asif Nazrul told New Age that he was astonished and wondered whether he was listening to a senior police officer or a ruling Awami League leader.
He argued that the police officer could not make such a comment as his salary does not come from the Awami League fund but rather from the public exchequer.
Asif also said that the police officer talked about incidents during the BNP’s tenure but did not mention if he had taken action against the incidents of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture that took place in the past 14 years.
He said the police officer had proved that under this police administration, a fair election was not possible.
Eminent jurist Shahdeen Malik said that once someone becomes partisan, he or she should not be kept at the helm.
Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, the liaison officer at the Asian Human Rights Commission, told New Age, ‘The remarks of police officer Monirul Islam clearly indicate that the law-enforcement agencies contain a blueprint to commit large-scale gross human rights violations against the opposition political parties and the dissidents, while the Bangladeshis’ struggle for securing the right to vote has been under the global focus.’
‘Creating a level playing field for all parties to host an inclusive, free, fair, and participatory election requires massive reshuffles in the criminal justice institutions and other statutory bodies, which seems to be one of the hardest challenges for Bangladesh in the near future’ said Ashrafuzzaman after watching the clip.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, the secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik, better known as Shujan, said that the partisan remarks of police officers cause fear in a democratic society.
‘Unfortunately, we are saying what we are not designated to say, which is creating trouble.’
He said that necessary action should be taken against such police officers to bring back the democratic system in the country.
Ain o Salish Kendra executive director Md Nur Khan said that the style, language, and type of remarks of Bangladeshi police officers were helping create a fearsome situation in the country.
The police officers were making partisan remarks despite the fact that there is no scope to do so as a public servant, he said.
Police officers were also giving technical speeches like political leaders, said the rights activist.
He believed such a speech would create a panic situation.-New Age
