Govt goes hard on lawlessness
The BNP-led government is taking a tougher approach to law and order amid growing concern over recent incidents of land grabbing, assaults, vandalism and other crimes, while also tightening scrutiny of police personnel accused of indiscipline or unauthorised political contacts.
The government says maintaining stability and public safety is a priority and that offenders will not receive political protection.
Speaking at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday, PMO spokesperson and adviser Mahdi Amin said the government wanted a fair legal system and would act “with utmost sincerity” against wrongdoing.
Asked about recent incidents of land grabbing, assaults and vandalism, Amin said the Home Ministry was dealing with the matters and had the relevant information. He said no political concessions would be given to offenders, regardless of their identity.
Amin cited several recent arrests. Thirteen people were arrested over an alleged attempt to take control of Chand Udyan, 11 over an alleged land-grabbing attempt at Shyamoli Housing in Adabor, 13 over an attack and property damage at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur, and seven over vandalism at a content creator’s studio at ECB Chattar.
He said maintaining stability was the government’s top priority and those seeking to create disorder would face firm action.
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, speaking in Sylhet, said improved law and order would help attract domestic and foreign investment. He said the government was also working on energy supply and other conditions needed to support investment.
The tougher approach follows months of concern over reported secret meetings, flash processions and incidents involving crude explosives attributed by authorities to the banned Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League.
Questions over police conduct intensified after an audio recording attributed to Rakibul Hasan, then officer-in-charge of Cantonment Police Station, circulated widely.
In the recording, he reportedly referred to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s possible return in December, saying “nothing will happen” and commenting on the weakness of street-level policing.
He also reportedly said senior officers were involved in BNP politics while he and his colleagues were not.
Rakibul was arrested on September 24 and placed on remand.
At the Police Auditorium in Rajarbagh on Saturday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed set December 31 as a deadline for police personnel to improve their conduct.
He warned that officers who breach discipline, act unprofessionally or commit crimes would face departmental action and prosecution regardless of rank. He also announced plans to launch an independent cyber security unit of Bangladesh Police.
Sources said a special cell at Police Headquarters was examining alleged contacts between serving officers and former police officials who left the country after the 2024 uprising. Officers found to have violated discipline or maintained such contacts could face legal action, including possible sedition charges.
Joint operations and checkpoints involving the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Detective Branch, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit and specialised battalions have also been expanded.
Authorities are seeking Interpol assistance to monitor fugitives abroad and examining financial networks allegedly linked to illegally acquired assets.
A senior Home Ministry official said the planned cyber unit would use advanced technology to counter misinformation, including AI-generated audio and video, which officials say is increasingly circulating online.
Police leadership has also called for stronger action against crime. At a meeting at Police Headquarters on Tuesday chaired by Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir, senior officers reportedly discussed the use of the Special Powers Act, 1974, to detain offenders.
Participants raised concerns that suspects in extortion and other criminal cases were securing bail quickly because of legal and procedural constraints.
Railway Police chief Barrister Zillur Rahman reportedly said the Code of Criminal Procedure provides for bail if an investigation report is not submitted within 120 days. He also noted that trials often exceed the stipulated 180 days for magistrate courts and 360 days for sessions courts.
Additional IGP (HRM) Khondaker Rafiqul Islam reportedly argued that, as “crossfire” is no longer being used, offenders should instead be kept in detention.
The term “crossfire” is associated with extrajudicial killings. The Special Powers Act has also long faced criticism from rights groups over its provisions for detention without trial.
The meeting reviewed several recent cases, including the attack on the Radda Maternal and Child Health-Family Planning Centre, an armed land dispute in Mohammadpur, an attack on New Guinea Properties in South Manikdi, vandalism at content creator Salman Muktadir’s studio and an alleged attempt to seize an eight-storey building in Adabor.
Police also discussed the escape of drug dealer “Pichchi Raja” from a prison van, teen gang clashes in Chattogram, the killing of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim in Cumilla’s Lalmai hills, the torching of a moving bus in Mirpur and land-related clashes in Mymensingh and Natore.
Officers stressed that restoring public confidence would require more than improving crime statistics, calling for greater transparency and direct engagement with citizens.
One additional IGP proposed appointing a police officer as director general of the Department of Narcotics Control to strengthen the fight against drugs.
The government’s current law-and-order strategy therefore combines tougher enforcement with tighter police discipline, expanded monitoring and measures aimed at rebuilding public confidence in law-enforcement agencies.
