Police Chain of Command Has Collapsed

Unrest prevails across the country. The law and order situation is deteriorating sharply, leaving ordinary people deeply concerned. Killings are taking place somewhere in the country almost every day. The heartbreaking murder of teenage student Opratim in Cumilla last Saturday has shocked the public conscience. In the capital itself, the activities of the banned Awami League continue through a series of sudden processions.

For several days, supporters of the party have allegedly been setting buses on fire and exploding crude bombs in the capital. Businesspeople are suffering from extortion, while mob violence has failed to stop. Yet, despite the police and several intelligence agencies, there appears to be no advance information about these incidents.

Public anger is growing openly over what many describe as the police force’s laxity or negligence in dealing with the banned Awami League’s crude-bomb explosions, bus arson and sudden processions, as well as its alleged anti-state activities online and offline. According to people concerned, the chain of command within the police has collapsed. They believe this is one of the reasons for the deterioration of law and order.

Those concerned say one of the major reasons behind the breakdown of the police chain of command is the alleged business of transfers. Recently, after an audio recording involving a bodyguard of the IGP was leaked, details of the secret “transfer business” and syndicates operating within the police administration came to light. The audio reportedly clearly showed that members of the police, from constables to officers of different ranks, had to pay a specific amount of money to secure transfers to preferred, lucrative or important districts.

Earlier, an audio recording of Md. Abul Hashem, then officer-in-charge of Kalmakanda Police Station in Netrakona, also went viral. In the recording, he was heard saying, “Police job is one kind of business. We will not cheat anyone. We will all live together.” He was later transferred.

An additional deputy inspector general (DIG) said that after obtaining positions in exchange for bribes, the main goal of many officials had become recovering the money they had invested. As a result, maintaining law and order was no longer their priority.

He said that if dissatisfaction, irregularities, bribery and disorder over postings continue inside a disciplined force like the police, the desired improvement in law and order will never be possible. Referring to the collapse of the chain of command at the field level due to the greed for money and lack of foresight among senior officials, he said the government would ultimately have to pay the price.

Meanwhile, dissatisfaction and unrest over transfers, postings and promotions have existed within the police for a long time. Political influence during the previous government, discrimination in postings and promotions, and later lobbying for postings and the appointment of controversial individuals have contributed to resentment at the field level. Many officers have been sent into compulsory retirement. At the same time, many individuals allegedly linked to the Awami League were transferred to important areas or promoted for unexplained reasons.

Instead of adopting a plan to build the police and RAB as professional forces, only changes to their uniforms were made, the report said. At a programme held at the Shapla Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office on the occasion of Police Week 2026, the current government told senior police officials that it would not tolerate corruption in the force. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said action would be taken against any member who violated discipline.

Meanwhile, after an audio clip of Cantonment Police Station OC Rakibul Hasan’s conversation was released, he was officially attached to the DMP headquarters. He was later taken into the custody of the Detective Branch (DB). However, no information about his whereabouts has been officially disclosed for the past two days. A source claimed that Rakibul Hasan was being kept at the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit’s facility on Minto Road, where an investigation committee was questioning him.

According to the source, the former OC provided important information to the investigation committee. Earlier, when Rakibul was serving as the OC of Islamic University Police Station, he was reportedly seen attending various Awami League programmes and celebrating Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birthday by setting off fireworks and cutting cakes.

During questioning, Rakibul reportedly said he had communicated through WhatsApp with fugitive Additional IGP Monirul Islam, former DB chief Harun, and two other senior police officers, Biplab Kumar and DIG Habibur Rahman, who were allegedly close to the Awami League government. According to information attributed to Rakibul, he was not the only one; more than 200 other police officers also allegedly maintained contact with those fugitive officers.

The report claimed that those officers had instructed them to carry out sabotage in the country and overthrow the BNP government. As a result, field-level police officers allegedly avoided following instructions from their superiors. At the same time, the banned Awami League allegedly got opportunities to hold sudden processions.

Following the release of Rakibul Hasan’s audio, police officers who allegedly benefited during the Awami League government have reportedly been placed under surveillance.

There has also been discussion in various circles about a section of police members who were appointed or posted on political grounds during the previous government. Some have been accused of leaking advance information about operations to fugitive Awami League leaders and assisting them.

Several senior officials at Police Headquarters said the first and foremost characteristic of any law enforcement agency is the chain of command, or obedience to orders from senior officers. Even if an instruction or directive appears bad at first glance, it is the duty of subordinates to follow it.

A large portion of the lower-ranking police members in Dhaka served during the Sheikh Hasina government. Therefore, they are unwilling to follow orders, the officials claimed. Some others are new to Dhaka and have not yet been able to understand the situation properly.

“All things considered, we are in a very difficult situation,” one senior police official said.
The report further claimed that more than 100 police officers currently in service have links with fugitive Monir, Harun, Biplab and Habib. They allegedly maintain secret communication not only with Monir and others but also with fugitive leaders of the ousted Awami League government.

According to ordinary people, conducting an internal cleansing operation within the police has now become the most urgent task to restore discipline to the force. A source claimed that more than 100 police officers have already been placed under surveillance based on these allegations. A list of the suspected officers has reportedly been prepared, and their movements and activities are being monitored.

Several intelligence reports submitted to the top levels of the government reportedly said that police officers and other members appointed during the Awami League government are still remaining inside the force. They are allegedly maintaining secret communications with fugitive Awami League leaders and police members and providing them with information.

The reports alleged that these individuals are working to weaken and put the current government and the police force in a difficult position. According to several police officials, “The Awami ghost has not gone yet.” They said that during Sheikh Hasina’s 16-year rule, a large number of people linked to the Awami League and its affiliated and associated organisations were appointed to the police. According to them, these individuals are mainly responsible for preventing the police force from maintaining discipline.

Many people within the force also believe that Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India, will return to Bangladesh next December. Several sources at the Home Ministry and Police Headquarters said secret investigations are underway after preparing lists of those involved in misconduct within the force. A list of officers from OCs to senior officials has been prepared, containing several hundred names. New names are reportedly being added to the list.

After the fall of the Awami League government in the 2024 anti-discrimination student-public uprising and the subsequent assumption of office by the interim government, major changes were made within the police. Many senior police officials, including the IGP at the time, were arrested over allegations of indiscriminate firing on students and members of the public during the movement.

Many others fled the country, while some went into hiding inside Bangladesh. More than 100 officials were also sent into compulsory retirement. Later, after the Tarique Rahman government came to power in February, major changes were made to the police leadership and other senior positions. Those concerned say the main challenge now is to control the law and order situation.

If transparency and accountability can be ensured in the work of police members, and if the police can truly perform their duties independently while maintaining the chain of command, eliminating crime from the country will only be a matter of time. However, if the police cannot be fully activated, the country may face an even worse situation in the days ahead.