Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has claimed that overall crime, including murder and robbery, has declined compared to the situation over the past 10 to 15 years, while attributing the rise in recorded rape cases to the absence of barriers in filing complaints.
Speaking during a discussion on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ budget allocation in Parliament, the minister said there are currently no social or political obstacles to registering cases at police stations, which, he argued, has led to an increase in reported incidents.
A demand for a grant of Tk31,098 crore 88 lakh 15 thousand was placed for the ministry in the House, where opposition lawmakers sharply criticised the state of law and order and proposed slashing the allocation to just Tk1.
Brahmanbaria-2 MP Rumin Farhana cited media-reported statistics for March and April, stating that there were 605 murders, 294 muggings, 90 robberies, 196 kidnappings, and 3,496 incidents of violence against women and children during the period. She added that, on average, more than 10 murders were taking place daily in the country.
Raising concerns over the proposed allocation, she questioned the justification for such a high budget given the prevailing security situation. Satkhira-2 MP Mohammad Abdul Khaleq, meanwhile, highlighted the severity of the drug problem and proposed strengthening “Gram Police” (village police) at union and local levels, calling for increased funding to enhance anti-drug and anti-corruption efforts.
In response, Salahuddin reiterated that Bangladesh is in a “historically improved position” in terms of murder, robbery, and violence against women and children compared to previous years. He said the increase in rape case filings reflects improved access to justice, as victims now face no social or political interference in lodging complaints at police stations or online.
He added that law enforcement agencies are taking immediate action regardless of where incidents occur.
Welcoming the proposal to strengthen village police involvement in drug control, the minister said law and order cannot improve without public participation and “social motivation”.
He also noted that the ministry’s budget has increased by Tk500–700 crore compared to the previous year and said additional funds would be sought for implementing upcoming laws on drug control and gambling prevention.
During the session, the minister also commented on MP Rumin Farhana’s attire, saying that while Parliament has its own rules of procedure, her dress was “very decent”.
