In the context of the discussion that has risen on the statement of the Police Service Association after the media reports on the corruption of police officers, the president of the organization, Monirul Islam, has cleared his position.
According to this Additional IG of Special Branch, they did not give any 'instructions or orders' to the media; rather they only 'requested' to verify and publish the news. According to him, they feel that a lot of information in the media has been 'exaggerated and fragmented'.
He was responding to reporters' questions after paying floral tributes at the ‘Dipta Sapath’ sculpture in front of the old police station in Gulshan on the anniversary of the attack on Holy Artisan Bakery on Monday morning. That's where the matter of Police Service Association’s statement was risen.
After finding the bighas of lands belong to former IGP Benazir Ahmed in different areas of the country, there has been a heated discussion for a couple of months about his and his family members' ownership of bigha properties, resorts, houses and flats in different areas of Dhaka, aong with ownership in many companies.
Benazir's traceable assets have been seized and bank accounts and company shares frozen by court order. However, before that order came, the former IGP and his family members left the country after 'withdrawing money' from the bank. None of them appeared even once when summoned by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
There have been reports in the media for the past few weeks about the wealth of former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Chief Asaduzzaman Mia and his family members. Asaduzzaman is also out of the country, though he claims that he will return and answer all questions.
Reports also revealed about the corruption about several high-ranking police officers; the question arisen as to whether their wealth is commensurate with their income. In such a context, the organization of policemen, the Police Service Association, in a statement on June 21, claimed these reports as 'unsubstantiated reality'.
The organization of the police requested that "greater caution and journalistic principles" should be properly followed in publishing news about the police force in the future. In response to the statement of the police officers, various organizations of journalists gave counter statements. There was criticism of the language of the police statement.
Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
