Former prime minister and president of Bangladesh Awami League Sheikh Hasina fell while suppressing the students' movement demanding quota reforms in government jobs. Sheikh Hasina government carried out mass killings by police to suppress the movement. More than 600 people of various ages including children and teenagers died brutally in police firing.
However, the government was forced to retreat in the face of resistance from the students. Four-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country secretly. The members of the police force suffered the most counter-attacks after the news of the head of government leaving the country. Many lower-ranking officers of the police had to lose their lives.
Also, many police officials covered up the incident of the head of government's ouster after the killings led by senior officials. The police officers directly involved in the murder are being arrested and brought under the law. The police officer who led the killing of the common people for the government still remains at large. Many are rumored to have fled the country, but in most cases there is no reliable evidence.
Many have been arrested outside the country and officials in hiding. Among them there are several prominent officers of the police force including the former IGP, DMP commissioner those who have been leading from the front in suppressing various movements for the ruling government for a long time.
Recently retired IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun:
According to police information, the former IGP Abdullah Al Mamun was arrested in the case of the killing of grocer Abu Saeed in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, during the indiscriminate shooting of the students during the anti-quota movement. Earlier, the police presented him in the CMM court and applied for a 10-day remand. Later the court granted remand for eight days. Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun joined as IGP on 30 September 2022. He was sent to retirement after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
Former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque:
Former IGP Shahidul Haque was arrested in the case of the shooting death of businessman Abdul Wadud in Dhaka's New market area. Later, the police presented the court and applied for a 10-day remand. After the hearing, the court granted a seven-day remand. Shahidul Haque was appointed as IGP on December 30, 2014. He was in charge till January 31, 2018.
Former Commissioner of DMP Asaduzzaman Mia:
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMAP) former commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). It is known that in 2015, the former general secretary of Khilgaon Thana Chhatra Dal. A case was filed against 13 current and former police officers including the then police commissioner of DMP Asaduzzaman Mia on the charge of 'killing Nuruzzaman Johnny in the name of crossfire' in police custody. The case was filed at Khilgaon police station of DMP on September 3. Johnny's father Yakub Ali filed this case.
After the expiry of his tenure on 13 August 2019, he was appointed on contractual basis as Commissioner of DMP for a period of one month from 14th August to 13 September, subject to cancellation of post-retirement leave. On 14th September 2019, he was appointed on contractual basis as the Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed National Security Cell under the Cabinet Division. His contract expired in September 2022.
Police DC Iqbal arrested in Taim murder case:
Imam Hasan Taim (19), a 12th class student of Government Adamji Nagar MW College of Narayanganj was killed in indiscriminate firing by the police during the procession of students on July 20. The incident took place near Kajala Padachari-Setu in Jatrabari. The deceased's mother Parveen Akhtar filed a case against the controversial police officer Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) of Wari Division Deputy Police Commissioner (DC) Iqbal Hossain. On the same day this police officer was shown arrested. Taim's father died. Moynal Hossain Bhuiyan is also working as Sub-Inspector (SI) in Rajarbagh Police Lines.
Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullahil Kafi:
Police arrested the former Additional Superintendent of Police of Dhaka Abdullahil Kafi in the murder case of Sheikh Ashabul Yamin, a student in Savar during the movement. Yamin, a student of Mirpur's Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), was killed in police firing on July 28 during the agitation. On August 25, Yamin's father Abdullah Al Kabir filed the case against 49 people including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Abdullahil Kafi was arrested from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on September 2 at around 10 pm. After that, in 2019, the court granted 8-day remand of Kafi in the case of ransom collection after the kidnapping of engineer Arif Mainuddin in Hazaribagh of the capital on August 4.
Two policemen were arrested in Abu Saeed's murder:
Two policemen were arrested in the case of the murder of Abu Sayed, a student and one of the coordinators of Begum Rokeya University. Both were taken into the custody of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). Last Tuesday (September 10) around 10:30 am Rangpur Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) granted a five-day remand prayer for the two policemen. After the hearing, the court Asaduzzaman granted them a 4-day remand.
It is known that on August 18, Sayed's elder brother Ramzan Ali filed a case in the court mentioning the names of 17 people including 10 policemen and two university teachers. Though so far ASI Amir Ali and Constable Sujan Chandra were arrested the senior police officers have gone beyond the reach.
Constable arrested in Konabari shooting and murder case:
Gazipur's Konabari police station constable Akram Hossain (22) was arrested from Parail area of Kishoreganj for killing Hridoy (20).
Haroon Or Rashid, the former Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Intelligence Police (DB), was the most talked about police officer who carried out repression and killings during Sheikh Hasina's government. Former Commissioner of DMP Habibur Rahman, Joint Commissioner of DMP Headquarters Biplab Kumar Sarkar, Liton Kumar Saha and other officials of different zones of DMP.
Hiding and military custody
After the fall of the Awami League government in the face of mass protests in Bangladesh on August 5, around 626 people, including political party leaders, judges, government bureaucrats, police officers, were sheltered in various cantonments. Of these, 515 are members of the police, out of which 28 are police officers. Later most of the asylum seekers left the cantonment on their own initiative. It was also reported that four asylum seekers have been handed over to the law enforcement agencies on the basis of various complaints or cases. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) informed this information in a press release on August 18.
