SHARIFUL ISLAM

Ignoring calls for holding police accountable through a separate commission, the home ministry refuses to let go of its control over the law enforcers.

Formation of an independent body, as the Police Reform Commission recommends, is unnecessary because the ministry is already doing what an independent body would be doing, says the ministry.

The demands for legislative changes to make the police accountable are being raised as around 1,400 people were killed -- most of them shot dead by cops -- during the mass uprising.

But the ministry insists that the current laws, which are from the colonial era, are good enough, and there is no need for amendments.

“If the [existing] law and regulations are abided by, the police force will be accountable,” reads the home ministry response to the reform commission’s proposal to “overhaul” the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, the Police Regulations of Bengal, 1943, the Police Act of 1861, and several other other laws and regulations.

The ministry conceded that some amendments may be made in light of emerging crimes like cybercrime and for conducting investigations in the digital sphere.

“The image of the police has been tainted because certain policemen did not adhere to laws amid extra-legal political pressure,” reads the response.

Currently, the home ministry’s Public Security Division controls and supervises the police force. It is also responsible for overall management, policymaking, complaint resolution, and ensuring the security of the force.

According to estimates of the recently published fact-finding report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the police, along with other forces and armed Awami League members, shot dead approximately 1,400 people, while thousands more suffered severe, often life-altering injuries during the July uprising.

The health ministry has recorded over 12,272 injuries.

After the Sheikh Hasina regime fell on August 5 last year, the police force completely lost its moral authority to enforce the law because the image of police acting like a tool of violent oppression was fresh in the public mind.

Even the home adviser mentioned several times that the police completely lost their morale.

A UN fact-finding report also recommended replacing the police oversight unit with a commission that would be independent of the home ministry and the police chain of command.

Members of the proposed police commission would be civil society representatives. The commission will have specialised staff, capacity, and legal authority to act as a public complaints body, says the UN report.

The report also recommended replacing the Police Act of 1861 and the Police Regulations of Bengal with laws compliant with human rights.

The police headquarters had also proposed forming an independent commission like that of Sri Lanka. This model envisions a commission comprising 11 members -- a retired Appellate Division judge or a retired IGP as the chair, four MPs from ruling and opposition parties, and four independent personalities, including a woman and a rights activist.

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