THE police must not deviate from their constitutional role as law enforcers. If they do not remain law enforcers, they will be law breakers and criminals. The higher police officials must not allow police to become criminals and make the country governed by the criminals. A report in The New Nation on Thursday said Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman, in a letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP) has called for exemplary punishment of the Police Sub-Inspector (SI) of Mohammadpur Police Station of the capital and make sure that no innocent person will fall victim of police atrocities in future. The central bank governor apparently acted out of the way but he was equally dismayed by the horrifying story of how the SI picked a young Bangladesh Bank officer from the city streets and demanded Tk five lakhs as extortion money. The SI even threatened to put him in crossfire and subjected to untold torture despite he made his present identity as a central bank officer known to the SI and also told about his earlier career as a young media reporter. He even evoked his closeness to many ruling party men but nothing worked. The central bank officer is now receiving treatment in Dhaka Medical College Hospital with many injuries in his body. The incident has shocked the nation but such stories are also a regular phenomenon to show how the nation has become hostage to police accesses at all levels. It is appreciable to see that the accused SI has already been closed and the IGP’s assurance to the central bank governor that the matter is being investigated and the accused would be put on trial if the allegations were found correct, makes sense to avoid any misgiving. But policemen in the streets are bringing one after another harassment to the police administration only to reflect the break down of the command and control system in a highly charged political situation. But no sooner had the police brutality to the central bank’s officer come to be defused, four policemen have this time severely beaten a South City Corporation’s inspector at Saidabad on Friday morning. He was on a round riding his bike to supervise cleaning when the plain clothed policemen showed sign to stop. Since they were not in uniform, the inspector tried to speed away taking them as muggers. But he was halted and mercilessly tortured to the ground despite he made his identity known to them. Only psychologists can explain why police beat people like a beast. Police torture and mugging galore every day in media reports and the central bank officer’s account on what he saw during his six to seven hours’ night time captivity is indeed terrific. The SI moved him in the police van at different places holding his life at risk; while picking many others demanding ransom and warned of implicating in false cases if they failed to pay. Once high police officials are used as footman of political leaders, police as law enforcers are finished. There will be no law enforcers, then who will?
