Citizens in the capital and elsewhere in the country continue to experience a worsened law and order situation as regular activities in the police force have not yet fully restored over a month after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5.
The situation has led to a rise in the incidents of killings, muggings, robberies and attempted robberies across the country as more reports of incidents of killing by muggers and miscreants, vandalising of factories, and robberies are coming in from different sources.
Many of these incidents remain officially unreported to the police, however.
A seven-month pregnant woman died undergoing treatment in hospital on August 28, a day after she had been allegedly stabbed by an unidentified youth at her father鈥檚 residence at Jatrabari in the capital, Jatrabari police officer-in-charge Md Mainul Islam confirmed.
Deceased Shima Akter, 22, was the wife of Jewel, a fruit trader at Jatrabari.
Jatrabari police inspector for investigation Md Mohsin Hossain told 抖阴精品 on Tuesday that the victim鈥檚 family did not file any complaint or case in this regard so far.
A battery-run auto-rickshaw driver was stabbed to death allegedly by muggers in Boroitola area in Hazribagh in Dhaka city in the early hours of September 3.
Deceased Mohammad Sadekim Mia, 18, was a resident of Pagla village of Phulpur upazila in Mymensingh.
On August 31, another battery-run auto-rickshaw driver Yusuf Sadhu, 40, was stabbed to death allegedly by muggers at Basabo slope of the Khilgaon flyover in Dhaka.
The victim鈥檚 younger brother Mohammad Babul Hossain, who filed a murder case with the Sabujbagh police, told 抖阴精品 on Tuesday that local people took his brother to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but he died at the hospital gate at about 4:30am on August 31.
鈥榃e filed a case with the Sabujbagh police on the day. The police assured us that they would investigate the case seriously,鈥� Babul said.
On August 27, a software engineer named Zarraf Ahmed was stabbed to death allegedly by two muggers in the capital鈥檚 Darussalam area.
The next day, Zarraf鈥檚 cousin Kaniz Sharmin filed a murder case with the Darussalam police.
In Dhaka city, although traffic police members in recent days are seen performing duties during the day, they disappear from most spots as evening falls, causing a chaos on roads.
No police vehicles were seen patrolling during visits by 抖阴精品 on Sunday and Monday nights to different areas in the capital, including Agargaon, Shyamoli, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Kawaran Bazar, Farmgate, Banglamotor, Kakrail, Azimpur and Jatrabari.
Several officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that they could not patrol the roads out of fear of safety and lack of vehicles.
Earlier, four to five teams used to patrol the areas under each police station in the DMP jurisdiction.
Former inspector general of police Nur Mohammad said that the ousted government forced police to use excessive force for controlling political and other movements in the past 15 years.
鈥楳any unprofessional police officers acted like political cadres [activists] forgetting their service rules. Many police officers and members fired indiscriminately at the public and students in the recent movement. They are now in fear of carrying out duties due to trauma and a loss of morale,鈥� the former police chief told 抖阴精品.
He said that it would require at least from three months to one year for the force to be able to work in full swing.聽
Nur Mohammad suggested that the police should arrange discussions in all police stations across the country engaging political leaders, locally influential individuals, and student representatives to overcome the situation.
Police Headquarters officials said that 450 out of 664 police stations were attacked, vandalised and set on fire across the country, following the downfall of Hasina government.
They also said that about 1,000 vehicles were damaged, many among them completely destroyed.聽聽聽
Assistant inspector general of police for media and public relations Enamul Haque Sagor said that they were trying to recover the situation as they had already resumed operation in all police stations after the devastating attacks.
鈥楾he government is sincere about police reforms. It has already appointed new superintendents of police in 50 districts along with all ranges getting new deputy inspectors general, and also metropolitan police commissioners have been appointed,鈥� said Enamul, adding that the IGP had held meetings with all these officials before their postings.
He hoped that the situation would return to normalcy soon and urged people from all walks of life to help the force.
Among other incidents, muggers stabbed to death auto-rickshaw puller Md Hashem, 48, and took his vehicle at about 3:00am on September 3 in the capital鈥檚 Kadamtali area.
On August 31, police recovered the throat slit body of 25-year old Mahbub in Minbagh area in Kadamtali.
Confirming the two cases, Kadamtali police officer-in-change Md Mahbubur Rahman said that two separate cases were filed in this connection.
鈥榃e are doing our duties with most arms looted, offices vandalised and vehicles destroyed. Some officers joined today and some will join within two or three days,鈥� the officer added.
The Police Headquarters on Tuesday said that law enforcers recovered 111 firearms and arrested 51 people in the ongoing joint operations from midnight past September 4 Wednesday to Tuesday morning.
The joint forces, combining members from the military, police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Ansar, are involved in the drives to recover illegal firearms and ammunition along with bringing the drug peddlers to book.
The home ministry on Saturday said that total 5,818 weapons of different types were looted, and 3,993 were recovered till September 5.
The police have yet to recover 1,885 weapons and 2,94,405 rounds of ammunition, the police headquarters added.
According to DMP data, a total of four robbery cases and three mugging cases were filed in the DMP jurisdiction between August 5 and August 31.
The DMP data showed that 211 cases were filed in the Dhaka city areas from August 5 to September 9 mostly centering the student-led mass uprising.聽
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a preliminary report released on August 16, said that about 650 people were killed during the student protests between July 16 and August 11.
According to the UN body, nearly 400 deaths were reported from July 16 to August 4 while about 250 people were killed in a new wave of protests in August 5鈥�6.
Before the fall of Hasina regime, most of the killings took place by the police and other law enforcement agencies in indiscriminate firing.
