Joynal Abedin Khan :
A huge number of policemen are allegedly involved in ‘arrest business’ taking the advantage of ongoing nationwide blockade and hartal programmes enforced by the BNP and its allies.
The law enforcers have arrested about 15,000 persons from across the country in last 39 days of blockade. Of them, more than 13,000 are reportedly activists of BNP and Jamaat-e Islami, police headquarters sources said.
Dhaka Metropolital Police [DMP], however, claimed that the number of arrestees in capital city Dhaka would not be more than 2000.
“The forces have so far arrested two thousand people, including 900 BNP-Jamaat men, to tackle the anarchic situation and keep the law and order under control,” DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told the New Nation on Thursday.
There is widespread allegation that the police are conducting arrest business targeting the bussinemen, students and innocent people from their residences and work places.
The pacic-srricken people pay bribes or extortion money as per demand of police fearing more harassment in the future.
Not only that, the police have also registered several fake cases against those who refused to pay the extortion money to the police. Even the arrestees were brutally tortured by the policemen in the thana custody in the name of
remand, when they failed to pay bribe as per demand of police, it is alleged. The sitautin has gone to such an extent that the DMP authorities have issued an order against the backdrop of the allegations of harassment to the innocent people and taking extortion money from the arrestees.
The order copies have already been sent to different units of DMP in the meantime. It said, if any member of police force is found involved in bribe taking or extortion business, which may tarnish the image of police department, he will have to face departmental punishmwent and criminal charges. DMP Commissioner said that all units of the metropolitan area have been ordered to follow the instruction and stay away from any type of nuisance to the blameless people.
“DMP is bound to register the name of the arrested persons. The Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Assistant Deputy Commissioners (ADCs) and Assistant Commissioners (ACs) and others police officials are instructed to maintain the register book properly,” the DMP boss said. “The Detective Branch (DB) members will also register the name of arrested persons and follow the case procedures. No police official will be escaped from the punishment if any such crimes found against him or her,” he further said.
Another DMP sources said that legal action and department punishment have a;ready been taken against 110 police members of DMP in the last month.
In the meanwhile, the extortion and harassment by a section of law enforcers has also become a common scenerio in the highways. They usually take extortion from the drivers, especially of the goods-laden trucks during blockade.
The ill-practice in the name of checking documents has increased in recent days in name of document checking, alleged truckers. Mozammel Hossain, driver of a Rangpur bound iron rod-laden truck from Chittagong, said he had to pay bribes at laest at five spots to avoid harassment by the highway policemen.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has admitted that ‘some members’ of the police force are involved in extortion. He said action would be taken against those are found involved in misdeeds.
A huge number of policemen are allegedly involved in ‘arrest business’ taking the advantage of ongoing nationwide blockade and hartal programmes enforced by the BNP and its allies.
The law enforcers have arrested about 15,000 persons from across the country in last 39 days of blockade. Of them, more than 13,000 are reportedly activists of BNP and Jamaat-e Islami, police headquarters sources said.
Dhaka Metropolital Police [DMP], however, claimed that the number of arrestees in capital city Dhaka would not be more than 2000.
“The forces have so far arrested two thousand people, including 900 BNP-Jamaat men, to tackle the anarchic situation and keep the law and order under control,” DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told the New Nation on Thursday.
There is widespread allegation that the police are conducting arrest business targeting the bussinemen, students and innocent people from their residences and work places.
The pacic-srricken people pay bribes or extortion money as per demand of police fearing more harassment in the future.
Not only that, the police have also registered several fake cases against those who refused to pay the extortion money to the police. Even the arrestees were brutally tortured by the policemen in the thana custody in the name of
remand, when they failed to pay bribe as per demand of police, it is alleged. The sitautin has gone to such an extent that the DMP authorities have issued an order against the backdrop of the allegations of harassment to the innocent people and taking extortion money from the arrestees.
The order copies have already been sent to different units of DMP in the meantime. It said, if any member of police force is found involved in bribe taking or extortion business, which may tarnish the image of police department, he will have to face departmental punishmwent and criminal charges. DMP Commissioner said that all units of the metropolitan area have been ordered to follow the instruction and stay away from any type of nuisance to the blameless people.
“DMP is bound to register the name of the arrested persons. The Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Assistant Deputy Commissioners (ADCs) and Assistant Commissioners (ACs) and others police officials are instructed to maintain the register book properly,” the DMP boss said. “The Detective Branch (DB) members will also register the name of arrested persons and follow the case procedures. No police official will be escaped from the punishment if any such crimes found against him or her,” he further said.
Another DMP sources said that legal action and department punishment have a;ready been taken against 110 police members of DMP in the last month.
In the meanwhile, the extortion and harassment by a section of law enforcers has also become a common scenerio in the highways. They usually take extortion from the drivers, especially of the goods-laden trucks during blockade.
The ill-practice in the name of checking documents has increased in recent days in name of document checking, alleged truckers. Mozammel Hossain, driver of a Rangpur bound iron rod-laden truck from Chittagong, said he had to pay bribes at laest at five spots to avoid harassment by the highway policemen.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has admitted that ‘some members’ of the police force are involved in extortion. He said action would be taken against those are found involved in misdeeds.
