Cops to obey court orders in 7 days

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The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities have directed officers-in-charge (OC) of all police stations in the metropolis to dispose of court orders within seven days of receiving them.

The move has been taken as part of the caretaker government’s efforts to remove corruption from the police department as Sub-Inspectors (SI) assigned to investigate cases following court orders often linger the probes and intimidate both the victims and offenders for bribe. They often submit biased inquiry reports favouring at times the offenders.

People file cases with the courts on political matters, land ownership and even assault. The courts then order OCs to investigate the matter and report it back within a certain period of time.

Court sources said in many cases the police delay submission of the investigation reports to the court even for years. Sometimes they seek extension of time for the task.

Records say the police did not at all submit the reports of cases accusing politically influential people. Top police officials said during the rule of political governments the police never dared to submit report against accused leaders and activists of the ruling party.

They said poor and innocent people are mostly the victims of inaction and submission of biased investigation.

Police sources said arrest of an SI of Shyampur Police Station on October 20 for taking Tk 5,000 bribe from a person in exchange for submitting the report to the court in his favour prompted the DMP authorities to take the decision.

The person, AK Azad, filed a petition case with the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court that asked the Shyampur PS to investigate the matter. SI Abu Nayeem Mohammad Sabur Khan was assigned to investigate the matter in June, but he called the complainant to the police station and demanded Tk 10,000 in exchange for a favourable investigation report.

DMP Commissioner Naim Ahmed, who gave the orders to submit investigation reports within seven days, said after being assigned an investigation by the OC, the SI concerned often keeps it in his pocket for a couple of months.

The DMP commissioner told The Daily Star that he has directed the OCs to monitor the investigation process.

DMP Deputy Commissioner for Tejgaon division Mahabubor Rahman said, “Following directives from the DMP commissioner, we are supervising investigations of court orders to ensure that they are disposed of within a week.”

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