BNP wants the abolition of RAB.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was launched in 2004 during the four-party coalition government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The party has recommended abolishing the force it created to combat terrorism.
The proposal was made in the recommendations submitted by the BNP to the Police Reform Commission on December 6. The BNP has made a total of 17 recommendations to build a police force free from political influence, accountability and corruption and to make it more aware of human rights. It also proposes taking several steps to prevent the recurrence of unreasonable use of force and brutal behavior by the police.
RAB, which is part of the police organizational structure, has already been widely discussed and criticized at home and abroad. Domestic and foreign human rights organizations, most political parties and civil society have been holding RAB responsible for disappearances, murders, torture and oppression in the country. There are US sanctions on several officials, including two former DGs of RAB.
Although RAB was established during the BNP regime, after the Awami League government came to power in 2009, this specialized force came to the center of discussion and criticism for a series of extrajudicial killings, including disappearances and murders. In 2014, a group of RAB members committed the Seven Murders incident in Narayanganj. In such a context, it has been recommended to abolish RAB. It has been proposed to take necessary measures so that the Armed Police Battalion and Thana Police can carry out the duties of RAB.
The party formed a 6-member committee under the leadership of BNP Standing Committee member Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram to prepare proposals for police administration reform. The committee later prepared these proposals after several meetings and exchanging views with various parties.
Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of the party’s media cell, said that the police administration reform committee formed by BNP will hold a press conference at the chairperson’s political office in Gulshan at 11 am today, Tuesday.
Police Administration Reform Commission chief Safar Raj Hossain told our time yesterday that they have received the BNP’s proposal. They have already reviewed the party’s proposals. Safar Raj Hossain also said that they are writing a draft to submit the report of the Police Reform Commission to the government.
The BNP’s recommendations submitted to the Police Reform Commission state that illegal detention, arrest, denial of release, detention and disappearance by the police have been going on unhindered during the tenure of the fallen Hasina government. BNP wants an end to this bad culture. For this reason, the party has recommended creating a form on arrest information to prevent abuse of police power and illegal detention and disappearance. The form will contain information about the detained/arrested person, the arresting police officer, the officer-in-charge of the police station and the unit head. The proposal says that a copy of the form will be provided to the arrested person. In addition, it has been proposed to follow the High Court’s instructions to ensure accountability in cases of detention or arrest.
In the case of police recruitment, it has been proposed to introduce a two-tier recruitment system instead of four types of posts. Among these, the first level is recruitment to the post of constable and the second level is recruitment to the post of assistant police superintendent. Currently, there are four posts in the police – constable, sergeant, SI and ASP through BCS. On the recommendation of BNP, it has been recommended to stop recruitment to the posts of sergeant and SI. Those appointed to the post of constable will be promoted to the posts of ASI, SI and inspector through departmental promotion at the end of the specified service period. This will create unlimited opportunities for promotion to those posts.
In order to reduce harassment of candidates wishing to work in the police, it has been recommended to verify only these information and not involve any organization other than the Special Branch of the police in the verification process.
To prevent corruption among high-level police officers, it has been proposed to decentralize the financial power centralized at the police headquarters to the field level. It has also been proposed to return any power related to procurement to the field administration instead of the headquarters as before.
After Benazir Ahmed took charge as the police chief, most of the procurement power of the police was brought to the police headquarters. Earlier, most of the procurement was done by various units including the district police superintendent’s office, according to police headquarters sources.
According to the BNP proposal, in the case of transfer of subordinate police members, they currently have to go through three to four levels and go to the main transfer place. In this case, they often have to face harassment. It has been proposed to have a maximum of two levels to prevent this harassment.
It has also been proposed to form a police commission with the chairman of the parliamentary committee related to the Ministry of Home Affairs as the chairman to provide proper guidance, advice and support to the police force. If the National Parliament is not in force, a retired Supreme Court judge will serve as the chairman of the commission for the interim period. It has been proposed to have eight members in the commission. It has also been proposed to include members of parliament from the ruling party, members of parliament from the opposition party, university teachers, high court lawyers and prominent citizens of the society in the commission.
It has been proposed to form a citizen committee in every upazila and police station to provide assistance to the police in curbing crime at the local level, improve police-public relations and provide advice on maintaining law and order in the concerned areas. This committee will be formed for a period of two years.
It has been proposed to have a career planning for all police officers and forces. It has also been proposed to make a fit list every 6 months for the important field-level posts of police station officer-in-charge, district SP, range DIG and police commissioner. A system of appointment from that fit list should be made on the basis of following the policy and necessary examinations.
It has also been proposed to give the court police the responsibility of handling cases on behalf of the government in the lower courts as before. As a result, impartial trial will be ensured, public suffering will be reduced and the police can be brought under more accountability for the proper conduct of the court’s judicial work, as mentioned in the BNP recommendation.
In the case of promotion, the provisions of the Government Servants Act 2018 must be followed properly. The said Act mentions 6 conditions for promotion. If for some reason it is not possible to promote a suitable person, it has been proposed to inform the concerned candidate in writing.
It has also been proposed to provide more intensive training on the use of force to protect human rights and order. In addition, the guidelines for the consistency of the use of force to control unruly crowds must be taught properly. The issue of using minimum, proportional and lawful force must be given importance. In addition, it has been proposed to provide training on mob psychology.
It has been proposed to provide the opportunity to enjoy one full day of leave a week by setting eight hours a day and 40 hours a week as per the rules of the International Labor Organization from police constable to SI. However, if additional duties are to be performed due to state or emergency needs, it has been recommended to provide them with allowances as per international and universal rules. In the case of posting, it has been proposed to make arrangements for posting police members in districts close to their respective districts. So that they can visit their family members at a low cost.
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