The Detective Branch (DB) of the police will no longer be allowed to arrest suspects while in plain clothes, said Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
Speaking to the press after inspecting the DB office in Dhaka on Monday, Adviser Jahangir Alam said that the police will no longer be permitted to make arrests without proper identification.
"From now on, no suspect will be arrested by the DB while they are in plain clothes," he warned.
The Adviser also reassured the public that the country’s borders are fully under the control of the law enforcement agencies. "The entire border of Bangladesh is under the complete control of our law enforcement agencies."
In addition, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury outlined the government's ongoing efforts to modernise the passport system.
He revealed that the government aims to fully implement electronic passports (e-passports) by December this year, replacing the current machine-readable passports.
"The government is working towards transforming all passports into electronic versions. We aim to complete this project within this year," he said, adding that he hoped to complete the task during his tenure.
The Home Affairs Adviser also acknowledged concerns over the time it takes to obtain a passport, promising improvements. "Currently, it takes too long to get a passport. I have instructed authorities to speed up the process."
Referring to the Rohingya issue, Jahangir Alam made it clear that the government would not allow Rohingya refugees to use Bangladeshi passports, indicating that discussions would be held regarding the police verification process for passport issuance.
The Home Affairs Adviser also warned that anyone residing in Bangladesh without a valid visa must obtain one by January 31, or legal action would be taken against them. "If people do not acquire their visas by the end of January, we will be forced to take legal measures," he added.
Regarding police recruitment, the home adviser denied his any involvement in making recommendations for police appointments, including Sub-Inspectors (SI). "If I am ever involved in any corruption, I want you to expose it. Be honest and write the truth, even if it involves money."
He also spoke about the current law and order situation, calling it "quite satisfactory," but emphasised that efforts for further improvement would continue.
Jahangir Alam added that an increase in snatching incidents in Dhaka but reassured that many culprits had been detained through massive drives.
Regarding the detention of over 1000 Bangladeshis in Libya under severe conditions, he said, "If any victim comes to us (government), we will take action against those responsible. We need specific information to bring them back."
"Those detained in Libya are our assets; they send money home with great effort. We will do as much as we can to bring them back," he assured.
Recently, one of the victims’ families (Libya issue) went to Gulshan police station to lodge a case but they were denied citing the need for permission from the higher authority, he said that he hadn’t have any specific information in this regard but there was no requirement for approval from higher authorities to file a complaint.
Regarding the rising incidents of abductions in Teknaf along border, the home adviser acknowledged the issue but assured that all the victims had been rescued.
Lauding the role of local media against the propaganda by Indian media, he said, “You (media) wrote the truth, resulting in a fall of propaganda by the India media.”
Addressing the issue of over 321 Sub-Inspectors who had been dismissed from the Police Academy and staged protests at the Secretariat, Home Adviser Jahangir defended by saying that actions of the dismissed Sis proved their lack of discipline. "If they had followed proper procedures, they would have informed the IGP. Instead, they created disorder at the Secretariat. This proves they were undisciplined."
