We welcome the move that police will not bar political programmes of the political parties, it is not the role of police as the newly appointed Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Khandker Golam Faruq, has said: “Police have nothing to do with politics. We do not have any headache about it (politics)”. It is brave assertion in midst of wide abuse of police for the politics of the government. Last election victory was the robbery of police. The image of the police has been dangerously tarnished both nationally and internationally by some of the highly placed corrupt police.
After two days of taking over the charges, the new DMP Commissioner at a briefing in the city on Monday told journalists that they would install CCTV cameras in police stations to watchdog duty officers, sentries and other staff with an aim to ensure hassle-free services to general people. Police stations are the first and prime points for people to ask for police support, but there are allegations that they face harassment while entering the police stations. Going one step ahead, he further said that all political parties will now be able to hold rallies and processions and police will help them until they indulge in torching and vandalizing vehicles on the streets.
If the political parties of government supporters and those of the opposition want to fight let them fight among themselves. It is not the responsibility of the police to get entangled with party politics to suppress opposition or organise election rigging. Such a role is destructive for the big and well trained police force.
However, the new DMP Commissioner added, if there is any criminal offence, police will deal with it strictly. People have long been demanding such a role for the police. But we feel it necessary to say again one thing and that all criminals are found in the politics. The politics has been criminalised for police and many other government officials. The violence in politics will be almost impossible. Due to wrong police leadership killing and using police for false cases have become politics.
Even after this assurance not to obstruct political associations that not being a police headache, if political leaders still choose violence and commit crimes in the process of political programmes, the police will have to make a distinction between pure crimes and political crimes in political clashes and wait at least till it is over.
The crimes must not go unpunished. But crimes committing by politicians among themselves in pursuing political programmes the police must wait without immediate intervention. Let them finish each other as long as the political activists are not threats to public safety and do not cause damage to public properties.
We have always appealed to political leaders not to deprive people of their rights and do politics peacefully. To be honest and it is now known to all that politics has become the most dangerous crime of power grabbing and robbing public wealth. Vote rigging election has to be violent with the help of police. Let such help from the police must not be available any more.
In our view to stop politics of violence will not be easy but the best way will be to keep the police their hands off from the political violence among political parties unless it is called for to save people and people’s property.
