Cops under scrutiny over past poll roles

With the national election approaching, police have sped up the process of identifying officers who played "commanding roles" in the three previous controversial polls or had strong political affiliations during that period.

The vetting of officers from the rank of inspector to DIG is expected to be completed by December 15. Those officers who performed duties as team leaders in the past three polls will not be deployed during the next election, said sources at Police Headquarters.

Several officers told The Daily Star that they have already undergone rigorous scrutiny and faced questions not only about their own political leaning but also that of their close relatives.

When contacted, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam, said those officers, who played "commanding roles" in the past three polls, will not be assigned duties in the upcoming election.

"We hope to complete the screening by December," he told The Daily Star on September 1.

Referring to election preparations, he said, "Out of around two lakh police personnel, about 1.5 lakh might be needed to help the authorities conduct the election.

"We will start providing election-related training to officials in Dhaka on September 7 and hope to complete it by December 15," he said, adding that a list of vulnerable polling centres will be prepared by that time.

The parliamentary election is likely to be held in the first half of February, as announced by the interim government and reaffirmed by the Election Commission.

Maintaining law and order during the polls will be a significant challenge for police, given the lingering impact of diminished morale following the mass uprising that toppled the Awami League government.

The force's credibility was called into question due to controversial roles in the previous polls, as many police officers faced allegations of playing partisan roles and engaging in ballot-stuffing on the eve of polling.

Over the past year, more than 200 officers, who held commanding positions in the past three elections, have been made officers on special duty (OSD) or sent into forced retirement, according to the home ministry database.

Around 15,000 officers, mostly constables, were appointed during the period, raising the number of police personnel to 1.93 lakh.

In the 2024 election, around 174,000 police members were deployed across the country, while the figure was 170,000 in the 2018 election.

Police high-ups insist that the force will draw on its experience of playing a neutral role in the 1991, 2001, and 2008 elections to restore public confidence in it.

THE SCREENING

The PHQ last month instructed all units across the country to check the backgrounds of police officers, their roles during the mass uprising and social media records.

The Daily Star has obtained a copy of a letter that the DMP's Intelligence and Analysis Division issued on July 30 to all police units, asking them to get details of officers with ranks of SI and ASI, and political affiliations of their family members and relatives.

The PHQ warned that any attempt to conceal information would result in strict action.

Several officers, who have already gone through the screening, said they found some of the questions from evaluators "embarrassing".

A DMP inspector said he received a call from the Special Branch in early August.

"The enquirer asked for addresses of my in-laws and wanted to know about political affiliations of my relatives, including uncles and aunts.

"I felt embarrassed to answer such questions about my relatives after 20 years of service," the officer said, adding that screening before an election is not new but such questions were never asked in the past.

An inspector from Narayanganj said he underwent screening about a month and a half ago by the District Special Branch (DSB).

"The DSB asked me about my earlier postings and my role as a commanding officer in past elections," the inspector said, requesting anonymity.

POLICE TO GET EQUIPMENT, VEHICLES

Keeping the next election in mind, police will introduce body-worn cameras for its members in January. The devices will allow real-time monitoring of field-level operations from the PHQ, regional offices and the EC, said IGP Baharul Alam.

Besides, communication devices, including walkie-talkies, and vehicles for police patrol are expected to arrivefrom abroadby October, he added.