Police inspector BM Farman Ali joined the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Motijheel police station as office-in-charge (OC) in 2013. He was later transferred from Motijheel as OC to Banani police station. Later he was made the OC of the airport police station in the capital. And last year this police official was transferred as OC to Gulshan police station. Over the past 10 years he has remained in different posts of DMP.
Before the 11th parliamentary election in 2018, Md Mustafizur Rahman was made OC in the Khilkhet thana (police station). He was later transferred to Mirpur model thana, He is now in charge at DMP’s Wari thana.
It is not just BM Farman Ali and Md Mustafizur Rahman, but another 11 OCs like them who are remaining by various means for over 50 to 10 years in various thanas of DMP. Sources in the police headquarters say that according to the rules, an OC of a thana is to be transferred within two years. IN at least 21 of DMP’s 50 police stations, the OCs have remain in office for over two years.
The election commission, in view of the forthcoming 12th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election, has ordered the transfer of OCs in all police stations of the country in order to ensure free and fair polls. In a letter sent to the cabinet secretary and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the election commission asked for a list of the proposed transfers to be submitted within 5 December.
When contacted Sunday evening, DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman told Prothom Alo, it will be difficult for any OC, suddenly brought in from outside Dhaka to an DMP thana, to get a grip on the situation immediately. The OCs are kept within DMP so that their experience can be put to use. This has been the norm for long. He said, the DMP OCs will be transferred to various election constituencies within Dhaka, in keeping with the election commission’s instructions. The proposal about these transfers will be sent to the election commission by tomorrow, Tuesday.
Certain senior police officials have said that the main “qualification” of being an OC is having personal contact with political and influential senior officials. So it is only natural that OC appointed in such a matter are reluctant to pay heed to anyone. Acton can hardly be taken against them even if they face allegations of irregularities and corruption. They simply remain ensconced in their DMP posts.
When the Wari OC Mustafizur Rahman had been the OC in Mirpur, allegations has been raised against him for not accepting certain cases. Resident of Mirpur, Mokhsen Uddin, alleged that on 29 September last year certain miscreants identifying themselves as police, entered his plot, broke the CC cameras and windows, beat up the caretaker and make away with gold jewelry and mobile phones. The caretaker called 999 and the police arrived, but the miscreants had fled. Later Mokhsen Uddin went to the Mirpur police station, but OC Mustafizur Rahman did not accept the case. Mokhsen went to the home minister Asaduzzaman about the matter. At the instructions of the home minister, the Mirpur division police deputy commissioner Jasim Uddin Mollah ordered the IC Mustafizur to file the case. He still did not do so. Later Mustafizur was transferred to Wari.
Another BNP official of the additional superintendent of police (ASP) rank, on condition of anonymity, said it is difficult to control the OCs basically because of their close ties with influential politicians. At times they do not even want to obey senior officials of the police department too. Then again, it is heard that massive sums of money changes hands for posting as OC of a DMP thana.
In 2014, Mazharul Islam was posted as OC of Kadamtali police station. He is presently the OC at Tejgaon industrial area. He has been in DMP for around 9 years now. He is the general secretary of Bangladesh Police Association.
OC of the Airport police station. Mohammad Yasser Arafat, has been with DMP for over 10 years. Cantonment thana OC, Munshi Sabbir Ahmed, has been with DMP for 10 years, Paltan thana OC Md Salahuddin Miah for 10 years, Kafrul thana OC Farukul Alam for 9 years, Dhanmondi thana OC Parvez Islam for 8 years, the OC of Turag police station Moudut Ahmed for 8 years, Kadamtali thana OC Proloy Kumar Saha for 7 years, Khilkhet thana OC Kazi Shahan Huq for 7 years, Bhasantek thana OC Jan-e Alam Munshi 6 years and Dakkhinkhan thana OC for Siddiqur Rahman for 5 years.
The Sutrapur police station OC Moinul Islam has been in DMP for 4 years, Motijheel OC Abdul Kalam Azad 4 years, Jatrabari OC Mofizul Alam 4 years, Sher-e-Bangla thana OC Utpal Barua 3 years, Gandaria OC Abu Sayeed Al Mamun 3 years, Dakkhinkhan OC Abul Kalam Azad 3 years, Lalbagh OC Helaluddin almost two and a half years, and Uttarkhan OC Abul Kalam for over 2 years.
The OC of Bhatara police station Mainul Islam has been the OC at several thanas in for over 8 years and then was transferred from DMP outside of Dhaka. Recently he has been brought back to DMP and made OC of Bhatara police station.
When asked about the matter, former IGP Nur Mohammad, Sunday night told Prothom Alo that when an OC stays in one area for long, he grows links with the local politicians. As a result, the politicians may received empathy from the OC during the elections. In such cases, senior officials need proper supervision. And the election commission’s order for transferring OCs is a good step.