Law enforcement yet to recover: Iftekharuzzaman

Bangla Press Desk:    Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman has said that the police and other law enforcement agencies have not yet reached a position to recover morally and professionally following the fall of the Awami League government.

“As a result, we cannot yet expect the highest level of professionalism from them,” he said while speaking at a workshop organised by TIB at the MIDAS Centre in Dhanmondi in the capital on Sunday.

The workshop, titled ‘Training on Election Reporting and Safety of Journalists’, was also attended by DIG (Finance) of Police Headquarters Taptun Nasreen, and Jasmine Tuli, a member of the Election System Reform Commission and former additional secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat.

Iftekharuzzaman said Bangladesh has failed to create an environment in which law enforcement agencies can operate independently. “In many cases, law enforcement agencies demonstrate failure while enforcing the law at the field level. The responsibility for this failure lies with all of us,” he said.

He further noted that ensuring journalists’ safety during elections involves many complex issues. “We have not been able to convince the Election Commission on this matter. We will have to approach the Election Commission again,” he said.

He pointed out that those who wield greater power and authority at polling centres, and who assume themselves to be winners in advance, are more likely to obstruct journalists from carrying out their duties freely.

“There is no scope to assume that our political culture has changed. We have been witnessing this since August 5, 2024,” he added, noting that there is also no room to believe that the overall situation has become smooth.

Although law enforcement agencies have not yet had the opportunity to recover fully, he expressed hope that they would not act under partisan influence.

BP/SP