Not only 187 police members absent, many others still hiding

A total of 187 members of the police at various levels have not yet joined their offices after the fall of the Awami League government, according to police headquarters. Apart from them, many other police members are still absent from work on various grounds.

Senior police officials, who abused power and created various controversies from time to time during the immediate past Awami League government, are not coming to the public now.

Several of them joined the office and then went on leave showing various reasons. Many even joined the work, but remained absent without leave. However, the list of 187 police members released by the police HQ does not include the names of these officials. Several police sources confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo.

Rumours about several police officials leaving the county to avoid arrest are making the rounds with some trying to study abroad and get sick leave or a lien (approval for a job elsewhere), as well as to cross the border illegally.

The police administration made no specific statement on officials who went into hiding.

Addressing the issue, home adviser to the interim government Lieutenant General (retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told an event on 18 September that police members who are still hiding and have yet not joined the office no longer need to join, and they will face action.

He further said certainly, they are involved in offences; so, they are not joining their office. Their number is very few and an investigation is underway against them.

At least 23 senior officials including the former head of the police’s Special Branch (SB) Monirul Islam, former commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Habibur Rahman, former head of Criminal Investigation Department Mohammad Ali Mia and former additional commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit Asaduzzaman were sent to retirement after 5 August. Almost all of them went into hiding before they were sent to retirement.

Lawsuits are being filed against top police officials over indiscriminate firing on students and people during the movement in July and August.

At least seven controversial people including two former Inspectors General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and AKM Shahidul Haque, additional DIG Moshiur Rahman, former additional superintendent of police of Dhaka district Abdullahil Kafi and former officer-in-charge (OC) of Jatrabari police station Abul Hasan have already been arrested in these cases.

The Public Security Division of the home ministry permitted the arrest of eight police officials on 12 September. They are - former police super of Dhaka district Asaduzzaman, additional police super (Savar circle, Dhaka) Sahidur Rahman, former additional police super of Dhaka district (promoted to the post of the police super) Md. Abdullahil Kafi.

However, DB police arrested Kafi from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 2 September before the permission was issued.

Other officials facing arrests are former deputy commissioner of DMP’s Wari division M Iqbal Hossain, former additional deputy commissioner of Wari zone SM Shamim, additional deputy commissioner of Uttara division Md. Touhidul Islam and former assistant commissioner of traffic (Wari division) Tanzil Ahmed and assistant super of Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Uttara (former OC of Hathazari model police station in Chattogram) Md. Rafiqul Islam. Rafiqul was sent to retirement on 22 September.

Those eight officials face criminal cases. To date, 99 police members in Dhaka face cases on allegations of their involvement in murders, attempts to murder and kidnappings.

Of the 187 police members, 16 police officials hold the rank of DIG to ASP while five are inspectors, 14 are sub-inspectors, nine are assistant sub-inspectors, seven are nayeks and 136 are constables.

According to police HQ sources, senior officials who are yet to join their office include former additional commissioner of DMP Mohammad Haroon Or Rashid, additional DIG of tourist police Moniruzzaman (who applied for voluntary retirement), former joint commissioner of DMP Biplab Kumar Sarkar, former joint commissioners of DB Khondkar Nurunnabi and Sanjit Kumar Roy, former joint commissioner of DMP SM Mehdi Hasan, additional commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police (RPMP) Uttam Kumar Paul and additional DIG of police HQ Praloy Kumar Jowardar.

The other eight officials holding the rank of SP to ASP, who are now in hiding, are deputy commissioner of RPMP Abu Maruf Hossain, DB deputy commissioner of RPMP Md. Shah Noor Alam, former ADC of DMP Md. Rawshanul Haque, DMP assistant commissioners Mofizur Rahman and Md. Iftekhar Mahmud, assistant police commissioners of RPMP Arifuzzaman and Md. Al Imran Hossain and assistant super of police in Sirajganj John Rana.

Official with the rank of inspectors who did not join the work are former OC of Hatibandha police station in Lalmonirhat Mahfuzar Rahman, Comilla Sadar south model police station’s Khademul Bahar Bin Abed, Yusuf Hasan from Chapainawabganj’s Gomastapur circle, former DMP inspector Zakir Hossain and inspector of Dhaka district Md. Arafat Hossain.

Speaking to Prothom Alo over these absences, police HQ spokesperson Inamul Haque said 187 police officials and members can no longer join the force.

Replying to a query on whether any list of officers not attending offices after joining is being prepared, he said they do not have complete data regarding this, but all allegations will be investigated.