STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Police reform means putting safeguards in place so that the force can never again be abused for political gains, said lawyers, politicians, academics, and current and former police officials.

The only way forward to make the changes lasting is to form an independent police commission, they observed at a roundtable organised by The Daily Star at its office yesterday.

“No political party can dictate against whom I can file a case or submit a charge sheet. This is the least that must be ensured,” said Baharul Alam, inspector general of police.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed admitted that parties used the police for political gains.

“We all have, at some point in time, used the police -- either to stay in power or to return to power. The police also allowed themselves to be used. Every government has tried to keep them happy, turning them into kingmakers during elections,” he added.

The police are still pandering to the powers of the day, Salahuddin said. “The filing of retaliatory cases en masse and mob violence represent this government’s failure. The police could have refused to accept such cases.

“For example, when I was forcibly disappeared, my wife was not even allowed to file a general diary. This shows that the police do, in fact, have the capacity to refuse cases.”

Justice Farid Ahmed, a former High Court judge, said, “Investigators take so much time because police officers operate on orders from political parties. They intentionally delay the submission of investigation reports.”

At the roundtable, titled “Need for Police Reform: Civil Society Perspective”, the speakers called for a new ordinance befitting a modern-day police force, replacing the colonial-era laws still governing the police.

They debated about what a truly independent police commission looks like.

Earlier, on September 11, the interim government directed the law ministry to draft laws for the establishment of two commissions within the police: the Independent Investigation Services, headed by the law adviser, and the Internal Complaints Commission, headed by the home adviser.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman questioned this move. “So, the government retains the authority and control over the commissions,” he said.

A member of the National Consensus Commission, which is holding talks with parties on key reforms, Iftekharuzzaman lamented that recommendations of the Police Reform Commission were never properly discussed. “No recommendations, no reports -- nothing was debated. There was resistance. This needs research.”

He criticised the reform commission’s composition as well, saying eight of the 11 members were bureaucrats, including five in service, and two police officers. “Full of conflict of interest,” he said.

Mohammed Iqbal, a member of the reform commission and former director general of the Department of Narcotics Control, said no conclusive recommendation on the formation of an independent police commission was made because of debate over the issue of its oversight.

“Some interpreted it [independence] as a commission that is out of the government executive branch. Fundamentally we agree that there should be an independent mechanism that will oversee police activities and how the state manages this institution. However, we cannot have a fully independent police commission outside of ministerial oversight,” he said.

Former IGP Nurul Huda countered, “If police’s investigative power cannot be separated from the government’s executive authority, then you will see that one person faces 20 cases and ends up in jail, and once power changes, all those cases get dismissed.”

Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) and a member of the consensus commission, noted that political parties unanimously agreed to an independent police commission.

“However, this won’t be a constitutional commission. Being a constitutional body does not guarantee independence. This has to be created through law,” he said, pointing out that the home ministry dissented on the proposal.

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