Policeman explains why he didn’t beat up protesters
Protesters have been frequently appearing in front of the Bangladesh Secretariat with various demands lately. As usual, the police and other law enforcement agencies tried to disperse them. Recently, a policeman was seen pretending to be a lathicharger to disperse the protesters instead of beating them with sticks. The policeman named Riyad Hossain is being praised after the video of the incident went viral on social media. Now, in an interview with a media outlet, he described the entire incident.
Riyad Hossain said, “I am working at the Demra Police Lines. We do not know when any protest takes place. Around noon (on the day of the incident), a group of protesters started coming towards the Secretariat gate and tried to enter the Secretariat. In this situation, they were stopped and our senior officers explained that the Secretariat is a protected area and entry is prohibited. So they (the protesters) were told not to enter the Secretariat. ’
He said, ‘There were senior sirs, under their instructions we took appropriate measures there and used very little force so that no one was harmed. I tried to disperse them by threatening them with a house on the road, and with an electric pole next to it. ’
This member of the force said that he did this on the orders of senior police officers, ‘Of course, according to the orders of senior sir. Senior sir instructed us not to cause much damage to them (the protesters). They should be dispersed by just threatening them. ’
Riyad Hossain said that various trainings are being given to the police after the July Uprising, ‘Since the July Uprising, we have been given various types of training from the Bangladesh Police. In view of which, we have been taught in the training that we can disperse the protesters by using very little force and without damaging government property. They (the protesters) are also our brothers, so that we can disperse them from the place with less force, without hitting them. This is a great achievement for us. ’
He said, ‘Our Bangladesh Police always follows the chain of command. So, as my senior sirs would say. And I did not do this for myself. I did it out of professionalism and I did it for my entire police department and for my uniform. So that the image of Bangladesh Police remains intact. The image that I want Bangladesh Police to have in the public mind remains intact. Let Bangladesh Police always work in a friendly manner towards them (the people). ’
Riyad Hossain said that the video of this incident is being praised on social media, ‘My parents are not connected to the internet like that, they could not understand the matter properly. So, those who were around me, around the house, may have shown my mother. So my mother called and said, “Why did you go to fight?” My neighbors, cousins, and everyone else around me called and said, “Yes, you did a good job.” Apart from that, everyone is giving me instructions so that I can do better in the future. “
She said, “I see on social media that friends and family are mentioning me in various posts. The public commentary I saw had many comments. Everyone was saying good things. At one point, I saw that I was the child of an ideal mother. So, my mother always tells me one thing that I should not hurt anyone or be aggressive towards anyone.”
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