Investigations Taking Time to Ensure No Innocent Person Is Harassed": Home Affairs Adviser

Speaking to journalists after inspecting the Narayanganj District Police Lines on Saturday afternoon, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated that investigations into cases related to the July mass uprising are progressing, but taking longer to ensure no innocent person faces harassment. He noted that while cases were supposed to involve 20 accused individuals, as many as 200 have been named, causing delays in the investigation process. He emphasized that no innocent person should face punishment under any circumstances and alleged that some have named innocent individuals for personal gain, which has complicated the process. Identifying the actual culprits would have expedited the investigations.

During his visit to the Narayanganj Police Lines, Adviser Chowdhury appealed to journalists for cooperation, saying, “I urge you to bring out the truth and real incidents. There’s nothing to hide. Some vested interests will always try to create divisions between the public and the police.” Addressing political parties attempting to create rifts with the police, he said, “You should resolve your differences. There should be no discord with the police. Your job is to reach out to the people and secure their votes, while our job is to ensure law and order so that people can live in peace and security. Your (journalists’) role is to present the truth.”

Regarding the recovery of weapons looted from police stations across the country on August 5 last year, Adviser Chowdhury said, “We haven’t recovered all the weapons yet, but we will recover many more before the elections with the cooperation of the public and journalists.” He added, “Law enforcement agencies are not stakeholders. The real stakeholders are political parties or independent candidates participating in elections. If they cooperate, holding elections will be easier. We have all kinds of logistical support.” After inspecting the RAB-11 Battalion office in Adamjee, Adviser Chowdhury responded to journalists’ questions about Bangladeshi citizens in India, saying, “If there are Bangladeshi citizens there, whether for 10 or 20 years, we will have to take them back. However, we are not accepting Rohingya; we are sending them back. For Bangladeshi citizens, there is a proper channel for repatriation, and we follow it. But the truth is, they (India) are not sending them through proper channels; they are abandoning them in jungles or near riverbanks, which is unacceptable. This is a human rights violation. We are protesting, and these actions have reduced to some extent due to our protests.”

Present during the visit were RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman, Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rezaul Karim Mallik, Narayanganj District Police Superintendent Pratyush Kumar Mazumder, Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Tasmin Akter, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Tarek Al Mehedi, and other senior police officials