A total of 1,522 police personnel dismissed during the tenure of Awami League government have staged a sit-in programme demanding their reinstatement.
Speaking at an ongoing demonstration in front of National Press Club on Thursday morning, the police members warned that they would launch an “until-death” protest programme if they are not reinstated to their posts immediately.
The protesting officers alleged that they were dismissed on various grounds, including failing dope tests, getting married before joining the service, and making comments on Facebook.
They further claimed that although several irregularities and flaws in their dismissal processes had been identified, no effective measures have been taken to address them.
Speaking on behalf of the affected personnel, Sub-Inspector (SI) Sirajul Haque of Shiddhirganj Police Station in Narayanganj explained that the 1,522 officers from different districts and units were dismissed prior to 5 August 2024.
Following the fall of previous regime, the officers launched a protest on 8 August 2024 demanding their reinstatement under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
According to SI Sirajul, the then home adviser Sakhawat Hussain subsequently ordered Police Headquarters to withdraw the dismissal orders and issued a gazette notification to reinstate all affected personnel.
“Despite this, the Police Headquarters is dilly-dallying,” the sub-inspector added.
The dismissed personnel said a committee was formed at the Police Headquarters following the former home adviser’s directive.
Although this committee submitted recommendations pointing out significant flaws and irregularities in the resolution of their departmental cases, no actions have been taken to rectify these discrepancies.
Demanding their reinstatement from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the victimised police personnel noted that they must be restored to their duties immediately. They reiterated their warning to initiate an “until-death” protest programme if their demands are not met.
