FROM PAGE 12

Many of the incidents were linked to clashes during protests and rallies, analysis of news reports and documents of the cases show.

After the fall of the Awami League government amid the July uprising, some attacks on law enforcers were reported.

One of the worst incidents occurred in January this year, when a Rab officer was beaten to death and several others were injured during an operation in Jungle Salimpur, a remote hilly area of Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila.

According to a criminologist, such attacks reflect a combination of weakened law enforcement capacity after the uprising and growing confidence of organised criminals.

Police data shows that among metropolitan police units, the highest number of attacks occurred in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police area. At least 112 incidents were recorded since January 2025. Among police ranges, Dhaka Range logged the highest, 176 attacks.

Talking to The Daily Star, Omar Faruk, professor at the Department of Criminology and Police Science at the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University in Tangail, said criminals were becoming stronger because they were operating in organised groups under economic or political patronage.

He said such groups were assuming that law enforcement agencies are still in a vulnerable or transitional phase.

For months after the July uprising, activities of police slowed significantly.

Prof Faruk also pointed to a rise in “mob culture”, where groups openly challenge state authority, which law enforcers faced after the uprising.

He called for firm action alongside more disciplined and accountable law enforcement.

Prof Faruk said a lack of institutional accountability has eroded public trust in the police, while weak community policing and internal issues such as low morale and uncertainty over postings have undermined operational confidence within the force.

He recommended broader use of specialised units, including Rab, APBN and PBI, in joint operations against organised criminal groups.

He also urged the government, particularly the home ministry, to send a clear message that attacks on law enforcement personnel would face strict consequences.

AHM Shahadat Hossain, assistant inspector general (media) at Police Headquarters, told this correspondent that they would not show any leniency in incidents that undermine law and order.

“Whether you call it a mob attack or an attack on law enforcers, we take action. Many of these incidents are under investigation.”