Home adviser sends stern message against lobbying for police promotions, transfers
Lobbying for police promotions and transfers has increased so much that it even came during the meeting of the advisory council on law and order.
Addressing the matter in the meeting, home adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has asked inspector general of police (IGP) Baharul Alam to take a stern stance against the recommending officials, sources present in the meeting confirmed.
A source told Prothom Alo that during the meeting, the home affairs adviser himself mentioned receiving numerous recommendations for police promotions and transfers.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam also said he had received similar requests.
At that point, the adviser instructed the IGP not to promote or transfer any officer who lobbies for such favours, but rather to identify them, as these same officers often approach political leaders for influence.
According to sources at the home ministry, on 21 October, a total of 80 police inspectors were promoted to the rank of assistant superintendent of police (ASP) through three separate notifications. The promotions included 33 unarmed inspectors, 18 city and traffic inspectors, and 29 armed inspectors.
In addition, promotions are being given from constable to assistant sub-inspector (ASI) against vacant posts. The allegations of lobbying mainly concern these promotions and transfers—from constable to ASI and from inspector to ASP.
The home affairs adviser urged journalists to report any irregularities in police promotions and transfers. In his words, if anyone secures a transfer through bribery, the media should report it without hesitation. He added that stopping such transfer trade would help ensure a level playing field in the upcoming election.
In response to a question about a level playing field in the election, Jahangir Alam said no political party had raised any objections regarding the issue. He added that the level playing field existed before, exists now, and will continue to exist in the future.
Referring to the recent political killings in Raozan and Rangunia of Chattogram, he said there had long been problems in those areas. Some incidents are still happening, but they have decreased significantly compared to before.
In response to a query about the approval of bulletproof vehicles for BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman, the home affairs adviser replied, “If you want, it will be provided to you as well.”
At the advisory council committee meeting, the issue of reducing mobile SIM usage per customer was also discussed. Currently, a customer can register up to 10 SIMs, which is being reduced to 5. This decision will be implemented before the national election in February.
On this matter, the home affairs adviser told newspersons that the number of SIMs per customer will be reduced before the election.
He explained that when one person’s SIM card is used to commit a crime by someone else, the real culprit often remains beyond reach.
The meeting, held in the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was chaired by Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. Senior officials from the ministry and related agencies attended, including senior secretary Nasimul Gani, IGP Baharul Alam, Border Guard Bangladesh director general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP director general Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud, among other senior officials.