Police not on the ground

Five days after an uprising toppled the Sheikh Hasina administration, police have not yet resumed their work to ensure public security. 

Officials who reported for duty in their stations, with the assistance of the army, have limited their work.

Some police stations are only recording general diaries and handling internal tasks, while others remain deserted with the policemen leaving after just marking their attendance.

"We're reporting to our stations but not going to the field out of fear of violent reprisals from the public as many of our colleagues had opened fire indiscriminately to kill protesters during the uprising," said an inspector who preferred anonymity.

Amid this situation, the Police Headquarters yesterday issued directives to form civic committees and resume police work at the stations to maintain law and order.

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Police must resume duty immediately

Yesterday, 538 out of 639 police stations in the country partially resumed operations with the assistance of the armed forces and Border Guard Bangladesh, according to the PHQ.

However, they refrained from patrolling the streets or managing traffic.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, over a dozen police personnel cited this absence of the law enforcers as a key factor behind plunderers targeting the public, especially members of minority communities.

This correspondent visited Kafrul, Shah Ali, Pallabi and Bhasantek police stations in Dhaka yesterday. Several police personnel were found in Shah Ali, where no general diary (GD) was filed in the past two days.

"We're reporting to our stations but not going to the field out of fear of violent reprisals from the public as many of our colleagues had opened fire indiscriminately to kill protesters during the uprising." An inspector

"We're living in fear. Our families don't even want us to leave the house. But I still come to the police station because I'm a government service holder," said a sub-inspector of the station.

The SI suggested that police high-ups consider a mass transfer, as many personnel who are well known to the local communities have become easy targets.  

Reassigning them to new areas could offer some relief since locals would not know about their actions during the previous government's tenure, particularly during the recent student movement, he said.

A 60-year-old man was waiting at Kafrul Police Station around 3:30pm. He said he was falsely implicated in a case on July 27 and his mobile phone was seized. He was bailed out of prison on August 7.

"I came here on Friday to get my phone back after I learnt that the station had reopened, but a policeman asked me to come today [yesterday]. I've been waiting for around an hour but there's no policeman."

An army soldier guarding the station said several police personnel came in the morning but left after sometime.

An additional superintendent of police said, "The situation won't change overnight, not until we're assured of our security. We won't be able to go outside in uniform, and so, people will be deprived of our services."

Speaking to The Daily Star, many people said the interim government should first focus on restoring law and order as a peaceful atmosphere is necessary for stability and the development of every sector.

"We must remember that if the police are safe and active, we too will stay safe," said Rafiqul Islam, a resident of the capital's Ramna area.

"Policemen are returning to duty and we all should accept them with love and mutual cooperation. We hope they will quickly normalise the country's law and order situation."

Meanwhile, the officer-in-charge and some other officials returned to the Ashulia Police Station and exchanged views with the locals yesterday. The students welcomed their return, reports our Savar correspondent.

OC AFM Sayed said it will take time to start normal policing as their vehicles were torched.

Our Barishal correspondent reported that police started working on a limited scale in the city and elsewhere in the district.

At Kotwali Police Station, the correspondent found all 10 policemen in plainclothes.

Mostafizur Rahman, chief of the station, said they recorded three cases on Saturday after filing not even one GD since August 5. "We're not going out for investigations or patrolling."

Wahidul Islam, superintendent of police in Barishal, said the 10 police stations in the district were operating on a limited scale since many personnel were yet to report for duty.