Bithi Akter went to Banani Police Station the day her four-year-old daughter went missing, seeking help to find her. Instead, she says she was told to search for the child herself. She had to return to the police station twice before her General Diary (GD) was finally recorded two days later.
Two weeks later, there is still no trace of Afroz Jahan Saiba.
The family alleges that police did not respond with urgency and even behaved poorly with them.
Saiba’s disappearance drew attention after a private television channel reported that around 16,000 GDs had been filed over missing children in the past seven months. Police later claimed around 14,000 children had returned.
Human rights and child rights activists criticised the police statement, saying the disappearance of around 2,000 children cannot be treated as a minor issue.
The concerns raised by Saiba’s family are not limited to missing children. Questions have long remained over police response after people file GDs over death threats, theft, security concerns or possible attacks.
According to Bithi Akter, her daughter went missing on 30 August near the footbridge in front of Banani Sainik Club. She said she had left Saiba near the footbridge while she went to buy shoes from a nearby footpath. When she returned, her daughter was gone.
After searching the area without success, Bithi went to Banani Police Station the same day. She alleged that police refused to take her complaint and asked her to find the child herself. When she requested to file a GD, she was allegedly scolded and forced to leave the station.
She faced the same response the following day, she said. The GD was finally recorded on the afternoon of 1 September after she returned with her mother, Saiba’s grandmother.
Saiba’s grandmother Sharifa Begum told TIMES, “The investigating officer called me separately and directly said, ‘Finding the child is not the police’s job. We have other work. If you find her yourselves, let us know and we will go and rescue her.’”
Investigating officer Md Billal Hossain denied the allegation. Speaking to TIMES, he said, “After receiving the copy of the GD, I visited the scene. As there were no CCTV cameras there, it was not possible to collect any footage.”
Complainants often allege delays in recording GDs, while even after complaints are accepted, there is little information about subsequent action.
Police officials, however, point to workload pressures. Sources at police stations said the 50 police stations under Dhaka Metropolitan Police receive around 30 to 40 GDs every day. Across the country, 639 police stations handle thousands of GDs daily.
According to police rules, an investigating officer is assigned after every GD. But officers are already occupied with case investigations and other duties, making GDs an additional responsibility.
ASN Nasir Uddin Elan, director of human rights organisation Odhikar, said the police investigation system needs to be separated.
Speaking to TIMES, he said, “Police are assigned various responsibilities, from VIP duties to many other tasks. When they fail to perform their duties, they often give excuses such as ‘we are busy’ or ‘we are assigned to another duty’. The solution is to bring police under greater accountability and reduce unnecessary pressure on them so that they can perform their duties impartially.”
There are allegations that many GDs remain in official records without visible progress. Experts say there is no effective system to classify GDs based on urgency, quickly identify high-risk complaints or determine which cases require immediate investigation or security measures.
Legally, a GD is not a case. It is a formal record of an incident, complaint or possible threat maintained by police.
People can file GDs over death threats, security concerns, extortion fears, missing persons, or loss of important documents and property.
However, experts say all GDs do not carry the same level of risk. A GD over a lost mobile phone and one involving a death threat may follow the same process, but their consequences can be completely different.
In some cases, failure to act on serious complaints has ended in tragedy.
On 30 March, 35-year-old Mahmuda Akter of Bancharampur in Brahmanbaria went to the police station to file a GD over security concerns. She could not file it. Eight days later, her bloodied body was recovered from her home.
In February 2025, Isreal Gazi went missing in Satkhira’s Kaliganj. His family alleged that Kaliganj Police Station initially refused to accept a GD. Later, a missing person GD was filed at Debhata Police Station.
On 23 May 2025, Ali Akbar alias Dhakaiya Akbar was shot dead. Before his death, he had filed several GDs at Bayezid Police Station in Chattogram seeking protection and mentioning threats to his life.
Bayezid Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ikhtiar Uddin could not be reached for comment.
Former police chief Nurul Huda told TIMES, “A GD has evidential value in court. Therefore, there is no scope to ignore it in any way. Those who are neglecting their responsibilities are basically showing negligence as individuals.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Md Akhtar Hossain denied allegations of negligence.
He said, “After receiving a complaint at any police station, the concerned police station takes necessary steps. Depending on the nature of the complaint, a GD, investigation or legal action is taken.”
No statement was received from the police headquarters. AIG (Media) AHM. Sahadat Hossaine did not answer repeated phone calls or respond to WhatsApp messages.
Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Osman Gani also did not respond to calls or messages.
What should be done
Allegations of harassment while filing GDs and cases at police stations are not isolated incidents. The issue has also been raised in Parliament.
On 28 April, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told Parliament that the government had taken steps to ensure ordinary people do not face harassment while filing cases or GDs, and those measures were being implemented gradually.
Police officials said that after a GD is filed, the complaint is officially recorded. Necessary action is then taken after assessing the nature and seriousness of the allegation.
If a preliminary inquiry is required, the concerned officer may speak with the complainant and witnesses, visit the scene and collect information and evidence.
If a GD later reveals a cognisable offence, a case is filed under the law and an investigation begins. If it does not amount to a crime, general inquiry or other legal steps are taken as required.
Khulna’s Dumuria Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Mukta Roy Chowdhury told TIMES, “There is no requirement that a GD must be accepted only after 24 or 48 hours of someone going missing. Whenever someone approaches us, the GD should be accepted immediately according to instructions.”
ASN Nasir Uddin Elan told TIMES, “In many cases, negligence in investigations, delays and a lack of accountability are seen. Considering everything, the government needs to take a responsible role in this matter.”
