Cops ask people to take law in own hands!
Police in an unusual announcement over loudspeakers in the capital's Tejgaon and Karwan Bazar yesterday asked people to break limbs of the criminals in the area.
The announcement was made during a special anti-crime drive led by Deputy Commissioner (Tejgaon division) Chowdhury Manjurul Kabir of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Senior police officials, lawyers and civil society members strongly criticised it, saying such announcement would incite people to take the law into their own hands.
DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque told The Daily Star, "No policeman has the right to make an announcement that encourages people to take the law in their own hands."
"I shall ask the deputy commissioner whether he made such an announcement and why," he said.
Former inspector general of police SM Shahjahan, also former adviser to a caretaker government, told The Daily Star, "Let alone police, nobody can take the law into his or her own hands, or ask others to do so."
"This is illegal. It is hard to believe that a police officer can make such an announcement," said the former IGP.
Eminent lawyer Shahdeen Malik said, "It is contrary to the basic concept of the rule of law when a responsible police officer utters such words. It clearly shows that they consider themselves above the law."
Witnesses said a contingent of 400 policemen led by Kabir took part in the special drive, especially against drug peddlers.
They paraded the streets in Tejgaon and Karwan Bazar from 9:00am to 2:30pm asking people over loudspeakers to be up against criminals.
They halted near Tejgaon Railway Line slum in Karwan Bazar, where Kabir gave a speech urging people to resist the drug peddlers in the area.
Kabir asked people in the neighbourhood to flush drug peddlers out. "Bring them on, with limbs broken."
"Please help us identify the criminals. We shall destroy their dens," he said.
However, some slum dwellers told the DC that if they identify the criminals, it might cost their lives.
Slum dweller Mariam Begum told The Daily Star, "Police know the identity of the drug peddlers. But they let them run the illegal trade in exchange for bribe."
Kabir told The Daily Star that they have a list of around 200 people involved in drug peddling in Tejgaon and Mohammadpur. Of them, 48 are in Karwan Bazar.
He said in many cases, people respond to their call and help them identify and arrest criminals.
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