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Members of the Village Police in the district are performing their duties alongside the members of law enforcement agencies ‘without necessary protective equipment’ to ensure that people maintain social distance to curb the transmission of COVID-19.
There are 750 village police under 93 unions of the district and they were seen doing their job from morning till night every day, according to official sources.
In some cases, locals said, members of the village police were seen delivering food items to the houses of those tested positive for the virus and then their houses put under lockdown, UNB reported.
They are performing their duties amid risks as they were neither given any protective equipment for their safety nor provided with additional allowance from the government, according to locals.
They only put on face masks as safety measures and doing their job without wearing any gloves.
President of Sadar upazila village police Jamil Khan, said, “Members of the village police are working with law enforcers round the clock amid the pandemic. They didn’t receive any personal protective equipment (PPE) and gloves from the government or union parishad. They aren’t getting any additional allowance from the government.”
Mentioning that the village police are working amid risks, Nazrul Islam, organising secretary of District Village Police demanded special allowance for the village police.
Imran Hossain, a village police member of Basundia union, said, “We’re only performing our duties but not received any food assistance yet.”
Ehsanur Rahman Litu, Chairman of Sadar union, said, “Village police members aren’t getting any assistance from the government. Our union parishad is cooperating with them as much as possible.”
Chairman of Nauapara Union Parishad Nasrin Sultana Khushi said masks, soaps and hand sanitisers were given to the village police from the union parishad to keep them safe from the virus.
Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said union parishad chairmen will be asked to provide masks, hand gloves and PPE to the village police for ensuring their safety.
Deputy commissioner of Jashore Mohammad Shafiul Arif said necessary steps will be taken in this regard after discussion with the UNOs concerned.