Muhammad Nurul Huda

The malfeasance and misfeasance of some errant police officials in the recent past—which brought into sharp focus their worrisome delinquency—has perhaps prompted the Inspector General of Police to initiate a process of cleaning that apparently aims to rid the police of bad apples.

In the throes of struggling with the Covid-19 scourge, Bangladesh has unfortunately lost many of her illustrious sons in the not-too-distant past.

In the unfortunate annals of our political history, the month of August perhaps witnessed more macabre incidents than others.

For a significant number of people, including those who had ventured to understand the causes of the historic Partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947,

All Bangladeshis, particularly those born after 1971, need to know and understand why the ghastly assassination of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1971, is such a massive tragedy.

There is a well-grounded belief that irrespective of the state of socio-economic progress, democracy as a form of government has not been able to take firm root in many societies.

It can be said without any fear of contradiction that one of history’s most massive displacements of population with the attendant violence and misery took place when,

The complainant is now complained against.

March 17 shall forever remain a memorable day in the annuls of Bangladesh’s political history, as well as in the hearts of millions of Bengalis as, on this day, the supreme leader and the progenitor of sovereign Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (fondly called Bangabandhu by his people), was born.

The significance of the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu lies in the fact that it was extempore—that is, without any prior preparation—but which in effect prepared an entire population for an epic struggle leading to its emancipation from the shackles of a brutal, obstinate and autocratic establishment.

According to media reports, more than a hundred lawyers of the apex court of Bangladesh have collectively filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directive to the government to constitute an independent commission to investigate allegations of crimes committed by law enforcers.

For quite some time, a number of judicial initiatives of the Apex Court of Bangladesh pertaining to the protection of public interests and also to ensure the rule of law, thereby enhancing public trust in the supreme judiciary, has attracted admirable attention.

January 10, 1972, shall remain a historic milestone in the annals of Bangladesh’s political history because on this day the towering patriarch, fondly called Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal) by ever grateful Bangalis, came home to his people after suffering nine months of illegal incarceration in Pakistani prison.

On November 20, the editor of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam, in a column in this daily, urged for the transformation of the Bangladesh Police into a pro-people outfit.

In an article published on April 4, 2015, I wrote that “Attacks on Hindus and their property have demonstrated the immensely sad but blunt reality that even after 42 years of democratic pluralistic existence, the religious minority of Bangladesh have not been able to save themselves” (The Daily Star).

The brutal killings of four national leaders by misguided soldiers inside Dhaka Central Jail in the early hours of November 3, 1975, remain an indelible shame on the national psyche.

In the columns of this newspaper, an erudite professor highlighted the need to “at least start a dialogue” on reforming the police.

As the plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority numbering nearly 1.2 million stranded in Bangladesh crosses the third painful year, one is reminded of the most blighted ethnic minority in Asia.

The conviction of three police officers working in one of the police stations of Dhaka metropolitan area for a custodial death that occurred years ago should be a shining example in an otherwise murky environment.

Following the death of Major Sinha in circumstances indicative of collusive criminal behaviour of some apparently errant police personnel along with other delinquencies of lawmen elsewhere in the country, well-meaning citizens have expressed their apprehensions about control and accountability of our police or the lack of it.