Staff Reporter :
The members of law-enforcing agencies, especially police, have involved in unsavory crimes in the recent times posing a serious threat to the rule of law in the country, sources said.
Police are being busted allegedly for crimes like bribery, extortion, abuses, contact killing, torture, custodial death, abduction, ransom, rape, land grabbing and human rights violation.
Even, people refusing to pay bribes are routinely subjected to arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention by police and they threat until victims’ family members negotiate payment for their release.
Despite their corruption, impunity remains the norm. This culture has led the police to “feel like they will never go to prison for the cruelty they do,” said intelligence experts.
A former Inspector General of Police (IGP) said corruption and abusive behavior within the police force is endemic. He lamented corruption is like ‘a disease in all of the force’.
“Now corruption by police becomes a deeply embedded problem. The long-term failure of the authorities to address police bribery, extortion and wholesale embezzlement threatens the basic rights of all Bangladeshis,” he added.
The former IGP also said that junior police officers must pay money to their senior officers to be assigned to ‘lucrative postings’. While giving such postings, these officers are told to meet daily or weekly monetary targets for their superiors.
Under the perverse system of “returns”, rank-and-file officers are compelled to pay up the chain of command a share of the money they extort from the public, thereby institutionalising and driving extortion-related abuses.
Transport owners and businessmen alleged that traffic sergeants with nexus of police used to collect toll on regular basis from vehicles carrying essentials on the roads and highways across the country.
Extortion-related confrontations between the police and drivers often escalate into more serious abuses. Police sergeants have on numerous occasions severely beaten motorists who failed to pay tolls they demanded.
In such an accident on Saturday, traffic sergeant Nur-e-Alam severely beat a truck driver Akbar Ali when he refused to pay toll to the sergeant. The incident took place in the City Gate area in Chittagong.
“Police trap drivers and force them to pay on a regular basis. If anyone refuses to pay, they are branded by police as illegal drug peddlers or face physical torture,” a transport leader told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
He said, the intelligent agencies have identified more than 100 police sergeants involved in such crimes and recommended the Home Ministry to take punitive actions against them. But unfortunately, no action was taken till the date.
Brushing aside the allegation, Asaduzzaman Miah, Deputy Inspector General of the Highway Police, said: “Our members are not involved in toll collection in the transport sector. If anyone can prove it, action will be taken immediately against those involved in extortion”.
Major General (Retd.) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim (Bir Protik), a security expert and politician, told The New Nation on Tuesday that the police force in particular and law-enforcing agencies in general were meticulously politicized. “Efficiency has been overtaken as criteria for promotion and good appointment by a new criteria called ‘political loyalty’ to the ruling party.”
Therefore, there is a tendency among the law-enforcing agencies personnel to satisfy their political bosses in any means, added General Ibrahim.
He further said killing or injuring innocent people is considered no offense compared to political favour to gain in lieu. Further, there seems to be indemnities granted in favour of law-enforcing personnel by the ruling party.
“In other words and as the last word, the rule of law is now an outdated concept replaced by the concept of misrule of law leading law-enforcing personnel in wholesale crimes,” he added.
“The country has experienced an unusual spike in cops being busted for widespread crimes, corruption and human rights violation, and such incidents are regularly coming out in the newspapers,” said Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
These acts in the police force are fueling abuses against the ordinary citizens severely undermining the rule of law in the country, he added.
Earlier, the NHRC Chairman in another occasion said: “We see growing arrogances among the police personnel from a particular district. They are showing disrespect for laws and the rights of the citizens.”
He, however, did not mention the name of the district saying, “You, the journalists know better than me.”
When asked, he also said that in his view, the chain of command of police administration has broken down, and so, more police are involved in crimes resulting in slide in human rights and law and order situations.
“The government should take the devastating problem of police corruption seriously. It should start investigation and remove senior officers who encourage all kinds of crimes and rights violation,” he said.
The NHRC chief further said that the policemen should be brought under the book if they are found involved in crimes and violation of rules. Steps should also be taken to promote the deprived hard-working officers to improve efficiency of the police force.
Helal Uddin Badri, Deputy Inspector General (Crimes), said that there was no problem with the chain of command in the police. Police are performing their duties following rules and regulations.
“The police force in general is not involved in crimes or corruption,” he said, adding, “A certain group of police might be involved in crimes. Police personnel involved in unlawful activities are facing departmental actions also”.
According to a data of Police Headquarters, a total of 13,931 police personnel faced departmental action for committing unsavory crimes during last one year. Of them, departmental punishment was awarded to 8,000 cop members until June this year.
