ON the eve of Police Week-2020, the police members on Sunday raised various unsettled issues as many promises made by the government high-ups for them last year not yet fulfilled. The demands included introducing or increasing some allowances like tiffin money, nursing bill, or orderly bill at the lower tier in the force. The home secretary, however, said that they kept some promises, including one granting Tk eight lakh for anyone killed in action and Tk four lakh each for the injured on duty, but the decisions were pending to get approval of the finance ministry.
The government has given the police such a political position that they can dictate terms to be fulfilled. They have become an exertion of the government’s power politics. They are not seen as people’s police and impartial law enforcers. We on our part do not want to judge which demands are proper and which are not. But the government has promised the benefits to them and they have the right to insist government for fulfilment of those promises. But we shall urge that police have to know how much they should reasonably expect. The government in power to use police for their benefit will be ready not to promise anything to keep the police on their side. It will be wise to see whether it is hard for the people to meet their demands. The money the government promises has to come from the people.
We want in the interest of the people and also for good of the people that the police must hold high their professionalism. They must not try to be politicians.
