Sometimes I hear, 'Is he our man': IGP

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam has called for freeing the police force from political and executive influence.

Reflecting on his experience as the head of the force over the past year, Baharul Alam said, “My tenure as IGP since last November has not been pleasant at all. I had to begin amid immense adversity, and even now I sometimes hear people asking, ‘Is he our man?’—a question I hear repeatedly.”

He made these remarks on Saturday at a roundtable titled “Reform of Bangladesh Police: Challenges and Way Forward,” held at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka. The discussion was jointly organised by Prothom Alo and the Bangladesh Retired Police Officers Welfare Association. Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman delivered the welcome address.

At the start of the session, Additional IGP (retd) and Vice President of the welfare association, Yasmin Gafur, presented a paper on “Reform of Bangladesh Police: Challenges and Way Forward.”

Emphasising that the political government runs the country and serves as the guardian of all institutions, IGP Baharul Alam said, “They (the political government) are indeed our guardians, I believe that. But why can’t I reach that space of trust? Out of that fear, we (the police) say—make us independent, free us from political and executive influence, and place us under an independent body. Why can’t I have that confidence that they will do so? They will govern the country—but without exercising undue influence. When will we reach that stage?”

Referring to the July mass uprising, the IGP said that the extent of people’s hatred and anger towards police can be understood from the fact that police had to abandon their stations. This hasn’t happened in 150 years.
He noted that the police did not have to flee even during Bangladesh’s War of Independence.

“It was a massive war, yet we didn’t have to run away then. Why did we have to flee in July–August? What level of resentment had accumulated among the people due to how the police were used over the past 15 years? I think this calls for self-reflection,” he said.

The IGP expressed hope that political parties would help bring the police out of such a situation in the future.

Urging that the police be allowed to work independently, Baharul Alam said, “In matters of case investigation and arrests, I should not receive any instructions from anyone.”

He also demanded that the police force be granted operational autonomy as per the law and that the government’s control over it be reduced.

Participants in the roundtable included Law Adviser Asif Nazrul; Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman; former IGP Nurul Huda; Police Reform Commission member Professor Shahnaz Huda; President of the Bangladesh Retired Police Officers Welfare Association M Akbar Ali; and human rights activist Nur Khan.

Others present were BNP Acting Chairman’s Adviser Mahdi Amin; Jamaat-e-Islami Central Executive Committee Member Saiful Alam Khan Milon; Secretary General of Khelafat Majlis Ahmad Abdul Kader; NCP Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adib; and Additional IGP Kazi Md Fazlul Karim.