Police personnel who have been absent from duty between August 1 and September 17 are going to lose their jobs.
Besides, disciplinary actions are being taken against those absent police personnel. Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Wednesday emphasised a firm stance on police officers absent from duty between August 1 and September 17.
He made the remark following the closing parade of the 40th BCS (Ansar) Cadre Officers and the 25th Batch (Male) Recruit Sepoy Basic Training at the Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Academy in Safipur, Gazipur.
“Those who have not returned to duty will not be allowed back, and we are taking both disciplinary and legal actions against them,” he said, clarifying that the number of absent police officers is small.
He added that most of these officers are involved in misconduct and urged for collective efforts to bring them to justice. Earlier on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Police Headquarters (PHQ) disclosed that a total of 187 police personnel have been absent from duty between August 1 and September 17. A press release issued in this regard on Tuesday reads; those 187 police personnel include one Deputy Inspector General (DIG), seven Additional Deputy Inspector Generals (ADIGs), two Superintendents of Police (SPs), an Additional Superintendent of Police, five Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASPs), five Inspectors of Police, 14 Assistant Inspectors and Traffic Sergeants, nine Assistant Sub-Inspectors of Police (ASIs), seven Nayeks and 136 Constables of Police.
According to the PHQ, among those 187 absentees, 96 personnel are on extended leave, 49 are absent without leave (AWOL), three have voluntarily resigned and the rest 39 are absent for other reasons.
Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 due to a mass uprising, most of the police officers went into hiding.
The uprising was triggered by large-scale student-led protests, during which law enforcement used excessive force and fired upon the crowds.
This brutal crackdown resulted in several hundred deaths and thousands of injuries.
According to PHQ information released on August 18, at least 44 police personnel, including 21 constables, were killed and several thousand others were injured in the recent violence starting from the demand for quota reforms in government jobs to the antigovernment movement.
According to the list of the deceased, the police officers died between Jul 21 and Aug 14. As many as 25 police personnel, the most for a single day, were killed on Aug 5. A total of 14 police officers were killed the day before, on Aug 4.
The most, 21 police personnel among the deceased, were in the rank of constable. The victims also include 11 sub-inspectors (SI), eight assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), and three inspectors and a Nayek.
Meanwhile, Sirajganj’s Enayetpur Thana recorded the death of 15 police personnel, the highest, in a single police station.
Besides, more than 450 police stations and establishments came under attacks while 5,818 firearms, 6,07,262 rounds of bullets, 32,005 teargas shells, 1455 teargas grenades, 4692 sound grenades, 290 colour smoke grenades, 55 stun grenades, 893 bang grenades and 177 teargas sprays were looted.
