Police caught in corruption crisis
Fresh allegations of corruption, illicit wealth accumulation, posting-trade syndicates and administrative factionalism have deepened an unprecedented crisis within Bangladesh Police, raising concerns over the erosion of professional discipline and the chain of command.
The allegations centre on the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), with claims that the IGP’s close circle, including his bodyguard Monir, has been involved in arranging postings to lucrative districts, ranges and important units in return for fixed payments, generating crores of taka.
Two audio recordings circulated on social media have added weight to the allegations. One, purportedly involving the IGP’s bodyguard, details alleged payments for transfers and postings and the movement of files through intermediaries.
Another recording, involving Md Abul Hashem, then officer-in-charge of Kalmakanda Police Station in Netrokona, reportedly exposed bribery at station level.
In the recording, Hashem was heard describing police work as a profitable business and saying that a Tk2,000 expense could be recovered by taking Tk1,000 to file a complaint and another Tk1,000 to dismiss it. He was subsequently withdrawn from his post following widespread criticism.
Former IGP Nur Mohammad said the police was “not an ordinary department” but a disciplined force dependent on a strict chain of command. He warned that when sensitive appointments were made through transfer and posting trade rather than merit and the fit list, the leadership lost moral authority.
He called for immediate structural reform to prevent procurement corruption and political interference.
Another source of growing resentment is an amendment to the Police Regulations of Bengal (PRB) that made recruitment to Sub-Inspector posts 100 per cent direct, effectively closing the promotion route for thousands of departmental officers.
At the same time, although there are only about 100 sensitive posts, including 64 district Superintendent of Police positions, more than 700 officers have been promoted to the rank. The required batch-based fit list for postings is also allegedly being disregarded.
Allegations have also emerged that honest and competent officers have been forced into retirement after being branded with “fascist tag”, in some cases without specific offences or major allegations. While talking to The New Nation, political scientist and retired Jahangirnagar University professor Dr Dilara Chowdhury said the culture of using the police for partisan purposes is “now costing the entire country”. She called for an independent and strong police commission, backed by political consensus, to free the force from political subservience.
The alleged corruption extends beyond station-level bribery to procurement, construction and development projects. A recent report in a national daily claimed that RAB purchased armoured vehicles at prices 300 times higher than their actual market value.
Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman told the New Nation that the corruption in police procurement was carried out through coordinated syndicates rather than by individuals alone. He criticised the weakness of internal monitoring and said the Anti-Corruption Commission was effectively paralysed by government and bureaucratic pressure.
He also said major corruption frequently involved fake bills for procurement, construction and equipment supplies, as well as payments linked to recruitment, promotion and transfers.
An Additional DIG, speaking anonymously, said officers who paid large sums to secure important posts became primarily focused on recovering their investment and making profits, leaving public service as a secondary concern.
He said trust in the current leadership had also sharply declined, leaving field-level officers reluctant to take responsibility and increasingly preoccupied with factional disputes, political labelling and the leaking of confidential information.
Police headquarters, however, has denied the allegations and described the controversy as a disinformation campaign against the IGP. Additional IGP Khondkar Rafiqul Islam said a malicious group within the force was spreading misinformation.
Regarding the viral bodyguard audio, he said an inspector had deliberately contacted the IGP’s bodyguard in an attempt to exert influence before recording and leaking the conversation.
The AIG (Media) at police headquarters said the force maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and would take departmental and legal action if allegations were proven.
Former IGP Md Ashraful Huda also called for an investigation into the motive behind the alleged disinformation, while the Bangladesh Police Service Association said a vested-interest group was seeking to undermine the morale of the force.
The allegations have renewed calls for urgent institutional reform, including the establishment of a politically independent police commission and merit-based recruitment, transfers and promotions.
Observers also want posting trade brought under zero tolerance and corruption allegations, particularly those involving procurement and senior officials, investigated impartially.
Without credible investigations and exemplary punishment for proven wrongdoing, restoring accountability and public confidence will remain difficult. The wider challenge, they say, is to end political subservience and restore law enforcement, institutional integrity and public safety as the police force’s primary mission.
