Sajeeb Wazed, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a former ICT adviser, has published a detailed critique arguing that Bangladesh’s police force faces a deepening credibility crisis eight months into the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Wazed wrote that allegations of custodial abuse, extortion, suspected narcotics diversion, selective arrests, and the revival of extrajudicial language “point to a single, uncomfortable question: when those entrusted with enforcing the law are repeatedly accused of breaking it, who protects ordinary citizens?”
He maintained that the issue is not that every officer is corrupt, but whether the government will insist on independent investigation and visible accountability.
Wazed highlighted Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir’s October 26 remarks that police would carry out “crossfire” if the government allowed it. Rights groups including Odhikar condemned the comments. Odhikar has documented five alleged extrajudicial killings since the BNP government took office in mid-February 2026. Police Headquarters later clarified that the IGP did not mean extrajudicial killings, describing the term as a reference to strict lawful enforcement. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and other officials distanced the government from the remarks, reaffirming opposition to extrajudicial killings.
The post also referenced a mid-October Detective Branch raid on a property linked to Additional DIG Abdullah Al Zahir (also referred to as Jahir) in the Purbachal/Bhatara area of Dhaka. Authorities detained around 85 people amid allegations of drug use and unauthorized gatherings. The officer was later suspended and transferred. Media reports noted that the seizure list was relatively limited—primarily alcohol, a small quantity of cannabis or “kush,” and one yaba tablet—raising questions among some observers.
Wazed further cited the June 2026 death of law student Mirza Ishtiaq Ahmed Pranto while in Faridpur Detective Branch custody. The family alleged assault and an extortion attempt; police initially denied wrongdoing. An internal inquiry later found the narcotics charges fabricated in connection with alleged demands for money and recommended departmental action against 11 officers. Pranto had ties to the banned Chhatra League.
Additional examples in the post included the recent withdrawal of three Satkania police personnel (a sub-inspector and two constables) following allegations that they stopped a truck carrying 30,000 yaba tablets and later misappropriated the drugs, as well as reports of roughly 30 people arrested since February for criticizing or mocking the prime minister, his family, or ministers, often under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Wazed concluded that unless the administration ensures police follow the law rather than break it, “the hope for genuine democratic progress will fall short.” Officials have previously stated that the government remains firmly opposed to extrajudicial killings and that specific allegations remain under investigation. Wazed’s commentary continues a pattern of criticism from Awami League-linked figures regarding law-and-order and human rights issues under the current administration.