Police move to maintain harmony

The Police Headquarters has instructed the law enforcers to form a committee in every district to maintain communal harmony across the country, especially in the Buddhist-populated areas.

The order came in the wake of a massive influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh after August 25. They fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

In a letter sent to all district police superintendents on September 10, the headquarters said the committee would be formed with local influential people, representatives from all religious communities and community police.

“Police also advised Buddhists to move more carefully to avoid any unwarranted situation,” said an official at the headquarters.

The letter asked the law enforcers to step up security in the Buddhist-populated areas to prevent violence and spread of rumour that could incite violence.

According to media reports, locals in Jessore's Benapole last week forced a Buddhist monk to speak against Myanmar on the Rohingya issue, filmed his statement and circulated it on social media.

Talking to The Daily Star, Md Moniruzzman, additional inspector general of police, said they issued the directives alerting police to avoid any communal incident. “We don't want to see any incident like that of Ramu in Cox's Bazar in 2012.”

Mobs carried out a series of attacks on Buddhist monasteries, shrines, and houses in September 2012 in reaction to tagging of an image depicting the desecration of the Quran on the wall of a fake Facebook account under the name of a Buddhist male.

Sahely Ferdous, assistant inspector general at the Police Headquarters, said they sent directives to all Buddhist temples, calling upon Buddhists to stay alert and move carefully.

Security has been beefed up in all temples across the country over the Rohingya issue, and the upcoming Durga Puja beginning on September 26.

Besides, the headquarters asked law enforcers to ensure that the movement of Rohingyas is kept limited inside the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Police were asked to step up security in all the camps to make sure that Rohingyas cannot go elsewhere.

The letter also directed the district police chiefs to increase vigilance at the tempo stands, bus stops, railway stations and river routes.

Rohingyas have already gone to some other areas in the country. Police last week detained 20 Rohingyas in Manikganj and sent them to refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, while eight more were picked up from Benapole.

Police were also asked to ensure that women refugees are not subjected to sexual harassments or other types of torture during their stay in Bangladesh.

The Police Headquarters asked the SPs to strengthen vigilance to stop smuggling of drugs, arms and human trafficking by the Rohingyas and they cannot get passport, national ID card, voter ID card or any other government document illegally.

It has to be ensured that no vested quarter can carry out an activity against the country's interest, said the letter.

Meanwhile, the headquarters in a press statement yesterday said people cannot rent out their houses to Rohingyas and the refugees cannot take shelter or stay at the houses of their relatives and acquaintances outside the camps.