Police can`t commit excesses like politicians

MEMBERS of law enforcement agencies or police for that matter surely have the professional right to conduct search operations based on accurate tip-offs but that doesn’t mean it can wreak havoc and cause chaos in the name of such professional duty. The police search operations at main opposition party BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office for nearly two hours on May 20 in search of ‘provocative leaflets and papers against the present government’ had hardly any professionalism in it. However, they found nothing in the likes of their allegations.

The point is – the police authorities could have restrained themselves by carrying out the search operation, and not vandalise the office properties of the main opposition party. Moreover, though it managed to obtain a search warrant, but it necessarily didn’t have to specify the documents as ‘anti-state’ materials. As a major political party, the BNP is not functioning from outside the country. Furthermore, we believe, the party’s top brass is well aware about the distinctions and categories of pro-state or anti-state materials.

Oppression on opposition is political and police must not have a political role. Police cannot be over-active on vague allegation of having ‘anti-state’ materials in BNP office. It is not understood what anti-state materials police were looking for.

We do not want to talk of democracy which is not a strong point in our politics. But what is disturbing is that police is behaving as if it can act and do justifying everything.

It is sad to see how helpless we all are and how insecure the government is without police power.