Ansars set to get powers to arrest, frisk

Despite opposition from the police, Ansar battalion members are set to get powers to arrest offenders, frisk detainees, and seize goods.

A bill titled "Ansar Battalion Bill-2023" was placed in parliament yesterday keeping provisions for these.

The government came up with the move with general election less than three months away.

The proposed law stipulates that death penalty will be the maximum punishment for committing mutiny and provoking rebellion in Ansar.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan placed the bill before the House, which was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the home ministry for further scrutiny.

The parliamentary watchdog has been asked to submit its report to the Jatiya Sangsad within three working days, meaning the bill is likely to be passed in the ongoing 25th JS session, sources at the Parliament Secretariat said.

The current session, which will continue until November 2, is also the last session of the 11th parliament.

Yesterday, Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam strongly opposed the bill when the home minister sought permission to place it in parliament.

He demanded withdrawal of the bill and a fresh one be placed in the House.

In response, the home minister said that the parliamentary polls are ahead. In order to deploy an adequate number of law enforces, Ansar members must also be deployed alongside the police members.

Fakhrul's objection was rejected after voice vote.

The section-8 of the bill stipulates that an Ansar battalion member shall, if an offence is committed in front of him, with the approval of the superior officer concerned, arrest the offender and immediately hand him over to the police and, as the case may be, as per the directives of the judicial magistrate or the executive magistrate or the official concerned, will frisk the detainee; and enter any place, conduct a search and seize goods.

On Sunday, top police officials, including the leaders of Bangladesh Police Service Association, in a meeting with the home minister opposed the decision to give Ansar the powers to arrest offenders.

Opposing the bill, JP MP Fakhrul said that the proposed law might turn Ansar into a force parallel to the police.

He pointed out that Ansar was formed to assist the law enforcement agencies.

"According to sections 7 and 8 of the bill, the Ansar force can do whatever the police do."

He requested the government to allow the police and Ansar to work side by side.

The home minister said that Ansar members cooperate with other forces during any disasters.

He said police's strength is not enough to maintain law and order during elections.

Some six lakh Ansar members have been recruited so far and the same number of Ansars have to be deployed during the elections, Asaduzzaman said.

He said that the government has no plan to set up Ansar as a parallel force to the police.

The minister said that if there are any conflicting provisions in the bill, it would be amended during scrutiny by the parliamentary watchdog.

Asked about the government's move, AKM Shahidul Hoque, former inspector general of police, said, "I think it is not a good decision at all. It will create chaos."

He said police is an essential part of the criminal justice system all over the world. In this system, only the police has the jurisdiction to conduct investigations, he said.

Tawohidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University's Institute of Social Welfare and Research, said some political parties might benefit from Ansar's arrest powers ahead of the national election.

"But in the long term, transparency must be ensured in exercising the powers. Or else, the powers could be misused," he warned.

Habibur Rahman, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they have communicated their observations regarding the proposed Ansar bill with the authorities concerned.

"Ansar works as an auxiliary force to police. We have expressed concerns that empowerment of Ansar should not create any misunderstanding between the two forces," he told The Daily Star.

"The bill has been now sent to the parliamentary committee and we believe that committee will analyse our concern regarding the approval," added the commissioner.