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The interim government has suspended two police officials, Biplob Kumar Sarker—a powerful police official under the Awami League regime and SM Mehedi Hasan—a Dhaka Metropolitan Police joint officer (traffic south).
The announcements were made in separate orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday, which stated that action should be taken against the two as they are absconding, reports bdnews24.com.
The two joint commissioners of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police have not reported for duty since the Awami League government fell on Aug 5.
They were suspended the following day as they were absent from work without informing law enforcers either verbally or in writing.
Both orders said that action should be taken in accordance with Section 2 (f) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018.
The section states that a government servant is considered to have “deserted” their post if they “leave service without permission or are absent from work without permission for 60 (sixty) days or more or are absent from work without permission for 60 (sixty) days or more in addition to an authorised period without obtaining permission, or leaving the country without permission and staying abroad for 30 (thirty) days or more or staying abroad without permission for 60 (sixty) days or more after leaving the country with permission.”
The orders said that Biplob would be assigned to the Barishal Range and Mehedi to the Sylhet Range following their suspensions.
Biplob, appointed to the police cadre in the 21st Bangladesh Civil Service batch, is a former general secretary of the Jagannath Hall branch of the Dhaka University Chhatra League unit. He was known as an influential officer in the police during the reign of the Awami League.
On Jul 6, 2011, then opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque was beaten by police in front of the Parliament building. Harunor Rashid, deputy commissioner of the Tejgaon Division of police, and Biplob, an additional deputy commissioner, at the time were said to have led the attack.
A video of BNP leader Farroque being chased and stripped was published by various media outlets and went viral. Biplob and Harun’s influence in the force grew afterwards.
On Jul 31, just before the Awami League government fell, Biplob was put in charge of the Detective Branch’s south unit.