Home Affairs adviser of the interim government Brigadier General (Retired) M Sakhawat Hussain today announced “Thursday” as the deadline for policemen to report to their workplaces, warning that the absentees would be considered “not willing” to continue in service and sought peoples cooperation for them understanding the force’s necessity.
“Thursday is the deadline,” he told a media briefing at his Bangladesh secretariat office hours after visiting wounded policemen at Central Police Hospital at Rajarbabgh as the main law enforcement agency was in disarray after the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
He simultaneously urged the people not to assault the policemen as “you surely understand the necessity of the police”.
“Whether it is the occurrence of robberies or the fear of them, please try to understand the need for the police,” added Shakhawat as he came to office for the first time after the interim government was sworn in with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammmad Yunus as the chief adviser.
Earlier during his visit to the police hospital, he said he would soon declare a deadline within which the police must return to work or face the music.
“If any policeman fails to join within the deadline, we treat him a ‘deserter’. I I have several mechanisms to fill up the vacancy that I don’t want to mention here. You will see within seven days appearance of trained manpower in seven days,” he said.
The adviser announced formation of a police commission, a long pending proposal, saying the police force would work under its directives adding police was used as a force to serve certain political parties.
“Police was issued lethal weapons which was not a right decision . . . whether or not the political parties would like me it would be difficult for you do politics in the country. You can’t use police as your armed wing,” he said.
“Police force will run under a police commission.”
He said today every night incidents of robbery are being reported forcing the army and BGB deployment to doing policing duty which is not their job.
The adviser said the attacks won the police force was “very saddening” but it should as well be noted they cannot avoid the responsibility for the current situation.
Yet, he said shooting someone dead and brutally beating someone to death and thereafter cutting his bodies into pieces and smashing ones head were not the same thing.
“We (army) don’t smash heads of enemy soldiers even during wars. At the same time it is also saddening hundreds of youths were killed in gunshots by police,” he said.
