NINETEEN police officials including the Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) have been transferred on Thursday in the aftermath of Rayhan murder in city’s Bandar Bazar police outpost on October 11. The Commissioner has been transferred to Prime Minister’s Special Protection Battalion (SPBn) as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police though this transfer and all such transfers are being treated as punishment in the face of public anger.
The government reportedly suspended four policemen, including the in-charge of Bandar Bazar Police Outpost Sub-Inspector who is now absconding. Besides, three policemen have been withdrawn in connection of this murder. In our view such transfer or suspension is nothing but an eyewash to remove the guilty away from the place of occurrence of crime to ally local protest. In no way such transfer is punishment when punishment was never been visible and given. The suspended at one point would join duty at other place.
Sylhet police is also culpable like at any other places for maintaining criminal link with ruling party cadres who recently made headlines of gang rape of a young housewife at Sylhet MC College Hostel. But police departmental actions are always defensive to suggest a thoroughly dysfunctional and demoralized system in which the authorities lack the courage to punish criminals. Higher authorities seem almost unable to discipline police since police are criminally protecting this unlawful government.
Rayhan went out of home at midnight on a telephone call and then police held him in the outpost demanding Tk 5,000 ransom from his family for his release. Police then raised the amount to Tk 10,000 but when family members next morning went with the said amount they found him dumped in a local hospital morgue with mark of multiple injuries on his body. Many said police were taking ransom taking people hostage at the outposts for quite sometime but seniors didn’t stop it because they were equal beneficiaries.
As we see there is a similarity in Rayhan killing with the killing of retired Major Sinha at a Teknaf police outpost. But lackluster departmental action against the killers showed that the government fears the police. OC Prodip Kumar was arrested only when some army personnel attempted action. The nation is watching how the government deals with Rayhan killing this time. The nation can’t afford such killings anymore.
The government reportedly suspended four policemen, including the in-charge of Bandar Bazar Police Outpost Sub-Inspector who is now absconding. Besides, three policemen have been withdrawn in connection of this murder. In our view such transfer or suspension is nothing but an eyewash to remove the guilty away from the place of occurrence of crime to ally local protest. In no way such transfer is punishment when punishment was never been visible and given. The suspended at one point would join duty at other place.
Sylhet police is also culpable like at any other places for maintaining criminal link with ruling party cadres who recently made headlines of gang rape of a young housewife at Sylhet MC College Hostel. But police departmental actions are always defensive to suggest a thoroughly dysfunctional and demoralized system in which the authorities lack the courage to punish criminals. Higher authorities seem almost unable to discipline police since police are criminally protecting this unlawful government.
Rayhan went out of home at midnight on a telephone call and then police held him in the outpost demanding Tk 5,000 ransom from his family for his release. Police then raised the amount to Tk 10,000 but when family members next morning went with the said amount they found him dumped in a local hospital morgue with mark of multiple injuries on his body. Many said police were taking ransom taking people hostage at the outposts for quite sometime but seniors didn’t stop it because they were equal beneficiaries.
As we see there is a similarity in Rayhan killing with the killing of retired Major Sinha at a Teknaf police outpost. But lackluster departmental action against the killers showed that the government fears the police. OC Prodip Kumar was arrested only when some army personnel attempted action. The nation is watching how the government deals with Rayhan killing this time. The nation can’t afford such killings anymore.
