In a major move, the government has dismissed 252 cadet sub-inspectors for breaching discipline during the basic training at Bangladesh Police Academy at Sarda in Rajshahi.
The SI’s, who received the final recommendation for appointment, have been discharged from the academy for not following commands and developing unethical relationships and causing troubles while serving snacks at the rehearsal of the graduation parade.
The academy's Principal Additional Inspector General of Police Md Masudur Rahman Bhuiyan told reporters that they were dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
The discharge letters have already been issued and sent to each of the 252 trainee sub-inspectors, he added.
The batch, recruited during the Awami League regime, included 804 members and 49 were recruited from Gopalganj, the home town of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who fled the country to India amid a student-led mass July-Upsurge.
Many criticised the decision of the government saying that the decision was taken on political consideration.
Brushing aside the claim, Home Adviser Lt Gen (Rtd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Tuesday said there was no political motive for the dismissal of the SIs.
“Two hundred fifty two sub-inspectors were discharged for breach of discipline not for political reason,” he said while replying to a question after coming out of the third meeting of the advisers on law and order.
The Home Adviser said an advertisement for recruitment has already been published to fill up the (vacant) posts.
“We will complete the appointment as soon as possible,” he said.
Of the batch, three other members of the batch had previously been dismissed, taking the total number of dismissals to 255.
The training of this batch of 804 trainee SIs started on 11 November in 2023 and is scheduled to end on 4 November this year.
Sources said the dismissed trainee SIs faced several charges, including not attending classes on time, not following commands from superiors, engaging in fights among themselves, skipping training sessions, and getting involved in ‘unethical’ relationships.
The passing out parade of the trainee assistant superintendents of police from the 40th BCS Police Cadre was scheduled to be held at the police academy in Sarda on 20 October, but it was postponed due to ‘unavoidable reasons’.
“Discipline has a broad definition. The academy can provide an explanation. Even in the army, we have seen [members] were sent back the day before they graduated,” the home advisor said when asked about the reason for the dismissals.
When asked whether the SIs were involved in politics during their student life, he said, “The academy terminated them for breaching discipline. Sometimes a large number of them are terminated. Sometimes an entire batch is dismissed. Once, an entire BGB batch was dismissed. This can happen. There’s no political reason behind this.”
One of the dismissed sub-inspectors said that the authorities concerned sent them a letter for creating unrest on Oct 1, the rehearsal day of the graduation parade for the 40th batch.
All trainees were served snacks as per the previously fixed menu. Instead of having the snacks, the participants (SIs) created unrest and acted in a way that demeaned the academy. Then they went back to the barracks. The academy perceived the issue as a serious breach of discipline, said the letter.
Three other members, including a woman, were discharged for breaching discipline by developing illicit relationships. The remaining 252 were dismissed for breaching discipline at the parade.
The graduation parade of the 40th BCS cadre's trainee assistant police superintendents on Sunday was postponed due to 'unavoidable circumstances.'
The postponement occurred even though the home advisor and other high-ups in the home ministry went to Sarda to attend the graduation parade.
The police have been experiencing reshuffles and changes since the Awami League government was ousted on Aug 5.
Many citizens and civil society groups have pushed for a more people-centric and accountable police force, as the basic functioning of the Bangladesh Police has remained largely unchanged for decades.
With over 200,000 personnel, the Bangladesh Police plays a crucial role in maintaining law and order across the country.
It is the principal law enforcement agency, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Calls for improvements in law enforcement are being a key priority, with growing demands to make police reforms a permanent fixture in the national agenda, regardless of political transitions.
The Sarda Police Academy, located in Rajshahi, is the primary training institute for new recruits in the Bangladesh Police.
Founded after the country’s independence in 1971, the academy is responsible for producing officers who uphold the law and maintain public order.
However, recent developments have raised concerns about the internal discipline of the cadets within the academy, casting a shadow over its operations.
