Since the student-led uprising, 81 police officers, including high-ranking officials, have failed to report to their workplaces. As of August 5, 2024, following the public uprising, 137 police members were absent across the country. Out of these, 56 have since returned to duty.
Among the absentees, many senior officials are involved, some of whom face serious allegations, including abuse of power and human rights violations during the previous Awami League administration. Several of these officers have reportedly fled the country.
According to the police headquarters, among those absent are three deputy inspectors general (DIG), 10 additional DIGs, 11 superintendents of police (SP), 9 additional SPs, 5 assistant superintendents of Police (ASP), 27 inspectors, 8 sub-inspectors (SI), 3 assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), and 5 constables.
Notable officers among the absentees include former additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, former DIGs Syed Nurul Islam (Dhaka Range) and Nure Alam Mina (Chattogram Range), former additional DIG Prolay Kumar Jowardar, and former Joint Commissioner of DMP Biplab Kumar Sarker, among others.
On August 7, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification regarding 40 officers ranging from DIG to Inspector, stating that they are facing departmental action for abandoning their posts. Their police medals have been revoked as a result.
Under the Government Employees (Discipline and Appeals) Rules of 2018, several officers who absconded have already been temporarily suspended from service.
The police headquarters revealed that, so far, 63 senior officers have been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the events surrounding the public uprising. Those still in service have been temporarily suspended, and they are currently in custody.
Among the arrested are former inspector general of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, former DMP commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia, former commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police Mollah Nazrul Islam, and several others, including former assistant commissioners of DMP and police officers from various regions.
Additional IGP (Crime and Operations) Khondokar Rafiqul Islam stated that all the arrests made were based on specific evidence and documentation.
Following the July-August events, where police indiscriminately fired on protesters, 1,490 police officers are facing criminal charges in connection with the violent incidents.
Professor Muhammad Omar Faruk, from the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Maulana Bhasani Science and Technology University, noted that while many cases against police officers have been filed across the country, some of them are broad and need thorough investigation. He emphasised that cases involving officers directly responsible for the deaths and injuries should be pursued with solid evidence.
The police headquarters also disclosed that, due to their controversial roles, 86 police officers of various ranks have been reassigned to different units over the past year. Additionally, 82 officers have been placed on special duty (OSD), and 55 officers have been sent into mandatory retirement.
Among those retired are additional IGPs from various departments, including the Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and several other high-ranking officers, including the Commissioner of DMP Habibur Rahman.
