Mehedi Sheikh, a businessman, was picked up from his Gulshan residence at midnight without any arrest warrant by the law enforcers. He was taken to Dhanmondi police station from his house in Gulshan’s Kalachandpur and next day forced to sign on two cheques worth Tk 12.5 million. According to the businessman, it all happened as he had some business dealings with Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Zone police Sajjadur. Mehedi on 12 February filed written complaints to Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
It is not the job of the police personnel to be involved with such business dealings. At least he invested his own money in a business deal.
There are many police officers who have many other ways of earning money without any investment. For any police officer who is cheated and will not show his power is not be expected where police are used to win elections.
There were legal ways of realising his money through court case. The police know best how unreliable the court proceedings are. Police also know how the power of the courts can be abused. The country is governed by might is right way. So DC Ramna did nothing unusual in our prevailing situation. He did not feel accountable because many others in his position would have done the same thing.
And the question of course arises as to how he got such a huge amount of money in the first place? The politics of corruption has included police as partners in corruption.
It is the truth known to all that the government is under a serious obligation not to care much about the need of discipline in police as law enforcers. The government is more interested in their loyalty to enforce their politics to remain in power.
A few months ago another police officer from Narayanganj came to Gulshan to arrest somebody for extorting money. The police high-ups are also helpless because of politics in police.
If political leaders can become easily rich and affluent and if we are helpless to politicians abusing political power then police cannot be expected to remain honest. Those who are still honest as police officers are angels and we must praise them immensely.
The time is not far away when we will come to know that there is no powerful politician who is not fabulously rich and who has not stashed away money abroad. If we are wrong nobody will be happier than us. But we are sure it is the bond of corruption among different sections in the government that works as the strongest glue for keeping the incompetent government to continue in power. They cannot leave each other and sink.
