Why can't police let go of Tentultala playground?
We are at a loss as to why police are still carrying on the construction work of Kalabagan police station in the city's Tentultala playground, even though the home minister said he had asked the city corporation and others concerned to find an alternative place for the police station. Our reporters found that the construction work was going on in the presence of dozens of police personnel ignoring the widespread protests on and off social media.
Open spaces in Dhaka are becoming rarer and rarer by the day. We often blame youngsters for becoming addicted to digital devices, and fault them for their predilection for remaining indoors, whereas we cannot provide them with adequate facilities to work out or play outdoors. Over the last couple of decades in particular, Dhaka city has become bereft of playgrounds. Most public spaces have been given away to real estate owners and builders for the construction of shopping malls or housing complexes, caring little for the need for open space. And except for some older educational institutions, most new schools have little to no space for outdoor activities in their premises.
It is against this grim background that the Tentultala situation has been unfolding. Local residents, the media and distinguished citizens have been asking the authorities repeatedly to rescind their decision and leave the playground for the locals to use for outdoor activities. Now, even after months of protests by the locals, and despite the home minister's instruction to find an alternative site for the establishment, why are the police still bent on using this spot?
We wonder why the eyes of the administration almost always zeroes in on such spots. We agree that a properly organised police station is needed in the Kalabagan area. But we also believe that time has come to consider new plans for building new police stations.
We also believe that the police acted in a highhanded fashion when it picked up a protester and her young son for streaming footage of the construction work inside the playground on Facebook on Sunday. They were released after 12 hours of being locked up. Expressing one's concern and dissent in whatever legal platform available is a fundamental right, which the police grossly violated. We call upon the administration to halt work on the Tentultala playground in view of the home minister's assurance, and find a suitable alternative quickly. We also urge the law enforcement authorities to remember that their mandate is to serve the citizens of the country, not make adversaries out of them.
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