The inspector general of police has reported to the High Court that he knows of only one incident throughout the country in which the police were involved in extortion from truck drivers.
The report was submitted to the court in compliance with an order of July which had in addition asked the IGP to stop all kinds of extortion ‘forthwith’ involving any transport carrying either commodities or passengers.
The bench of Justice Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain had issued the order suo moto after taking cognisance of a newspaper report headlined ‘Police extortion adds to goods prices’ published in the daily Prothom Alo on July 27.
The IGP report states that a deputy inspector general of the Dhaka Range ‘acting on a tip off, withdrew from their duties a town and traffic inspector and other traffic police personnel for their involvement in extortion while they were deployed at Batiapara Mor of Kashiani in Gopalganj.’
In his report, Hasan Mahmud Khondaker also stated that on July 7 the police headquarters had issued a circular asking all deputy inspector generals and all metropolitan police commissioners to take steps to prevent extortion.
Khondaker also referred to reports sent to the police headquarters from the DIG ranges in Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Chittagong and Sylhet, the deputy inspector general of the traffic police and the Chittagong Metropolitan Police commissioner’s office.
The reports given by the DIGs and the metropolitan police stated that they also had taken drastic measures to avert extortion even though no extortion was known to have taken place in their respective jurisdictions.
The deputy inspector general of the Highway range reported to the IGP that to ensure safe vehicular movement and avert extortion in the eastern zone, he had deployed 25 emergency teams during the day and 31 patrol teams at night. In relation to the western zone, he said that he had deployed 44 day-time and 49 night-time patrol teams.
Deputy attorney general Biswojit Roy told New Age that he had made the court aware about the IGP’s report and that he expected the bench led by Justice Reza-Ul Hoque to take up the matter for hearing on September 17 after the High Court would resume its work after the annual vacation.
Earlier on July 7, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner assured transport owners of stringent action against law enforcers proved to be guilty of extorting money from goods trucks.
At its July 24 meeting, the parliamentary standing committee on the home ministry observed that teams of plainclothes policemen were out to extort money from ordinary people.
The police officials who attended the meeting failed to counter the allegations which the lawmakers had levelled against the police but they assured the committee that they would investigate activities of the law enforcement agencies and take the necessary steps against them.
Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujibul Haque, also a committee member, asked the police not to send plain-clothes teams on operation.
-With New Age input
