A total of 338 officer-in-charges (OCs) across the country have been transferred following the approval of the Election Commission (EC). The police headquarters confirmed the reshuffle in a notification on Thursday.
Analysing the transfer list it was found that the OCs of 34 of the 50 police stations in the capital have been transferred within the city. An OC of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been transferred to the detective branch (DB). One has been transferred as OC from the DB police. There was no major reshuffle in any of the cities in the country either.
A number of OCs outside Dhaka have been transferred to other districts. However, in most cases they were transferred nearby or neighbouring districts.
According to the list, Savar police station OC Dipak Chandra Shaha was transferred to the Rupganj police station in Narayanganj and the OC of Sonargaon police station was shifted to the South Keraniganj police station. OCs of the seven police stations in Manikganj, were reshuffled within the districts. A Gazipur OC has been transferred to the Savar police stations.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, police headquarters’ additional director general (ADG) Kamrul Hasan said OC’s some 338 police stations across the country have been reshuffled following the approval of the EC.
However, OCs of at least 21 police stations in Dhaka have been working in the DMP for more than two years.
Police inspector BM Farman Ali joined the Banani police station as the OC from Motijheel police station. He was then transferred to the Airport police station as the OC. Last year, he joined the Gulshan police station. He has been serving at different police stations under the DMP for nearly 10 years. He was transferred to the Jatrabari police station from Gulshan Thursday.
According to EC sources, the EC announced its decision to reshuffle all the OC’s across the country. The letter from the EC addressing the home ministry states, “The Election Commission has decided to transfer all the OCs in order to ensure a free and fair election. As part of this, the EC is seeking proposals from the home ministry with transfer recommendations for the OC’s, who have served more than six months at his or her current workplace 5 December.”
Later, the deadline to submit the proposal was extended to 8 December.
Meanwhile, the EC also directed to reshuffle the UNOs (upazila nirbahi officers) from one district to another. Following the EC order, some 47 UNOs were reshuffled in the first phase on Monday and some 158 UNO’s were transferred in the second phase on Thursday.
It has been learnt from the notification regarding the transfers of the OCs that the number of OC’s transferred from one district to another, is the highest in the three hill districts – Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari.
OC Tofael Ahmed of the Sitakunda police station in Chattogram, who came into limelight following a Prothom Alo report on Wednesday revealing his involvement in corruption, has been transferred to the Bashkhali police station in the same district. It has been learnt that he was transferred as per the wish of a top official of Chattogram district police.
A reliable source in the police says the OC’s in Dhaka were not transferred as a result of massive lobbying inside the police force over the last few days. It is being said that several OC’s spent a massive amount of money to keep their posting in Dhaka.
Speaking regarding this, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) executive director Iftekharuzzaman told Prothom Alo, “This reshuffling has been carried out to ensure a neutral election. However, the state agencies, including the police, are loyal to the ruling party. Therefore, this reshuffling won’t create that much impact.”
“The allegation of illegal money transaction against the OC’s to remain in Dhaka is not surprising at all. The allegations of illegal money transactions were always there. Probably, it has increased further now,” he added.