Police knew about constable Kawsar's mental illness, IGP says

Police were aware of the mental illness of constable Kawsar Ali, who shot his colleague dead in Dhaka's Baridhara diplomatic zone on Saturday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said today.

Speaking at a programme at Rajarbag Police Line, the IGP said, "We came to know… we deployed him for duty again after a doctor said that he is fully fit for the job. But we will remain more cautious [in future] about any deployment," the IGP said.

In reply of a reporter's query, he said that police knew about Kawsar's mental illness before deploying him in diplomatic security division.

Earlier, the family members of Kawsar Ali said that he was suffering from mental illness and received treatment from hospital.

After the family claimed that his department was also aware of his condition, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that they were not aware of his mental illness.

KH Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of the DMP, told The Daily Star, "We were not aware of Kawsar's mental condition since he was doing duty properly."

Moreover, police officers receive required training for stress management, the IGP said.

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Cop shot dead by colleague in Baridhara diplomatic zone

"Bangladesh Police are a professional force, they receive basic training on stress management from both experienced police officers and psychiatrists, he said.

In addition to this, he said, before their posting, they are briefed about the location, such as DMP, or at other districts.

In an orientation course, he added, "We also brief them about the pattern of stress which they may face during their duty."

According to IGP, they are addressing the problem in light of the recent murder incident of Baridhara.

If required, they will enhance training, he added.