Force has cited retaliatory attacks from protesters after more than a month of violence for the decision
A student controls traffic after police went on strike in Dhaka on Wednesday. Pic/AFP
Bangladesh’s main police association announced that its members would go on strike, following a violent crackdown on protests that resulted in the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The decision comes a day after the police’s attempt to suppress the demonstrations with deadly force led to the toppling of the government.
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The Bangladesh Police Association, representing thousands of officers, issued a statement declaring the strike, saying, “Until the security of every member of the police is secured, we are declaring a strike.” The statement also included an apology for the police’s actions against the protesters. “We beg an apology for what the police force has done to the innocent students,” the Bangladesh Police Association’s statement said. The association claimed that officers were “forced to open fire” and were unfairly portrayed as the “villain.”
In the absence of the police, students carried out traffic management as volunteers for the second consecutive day on Wednesday in Bangladesh, as a top police official called on every member of the police force to resume their duties gradually and maintain law and order. “The police are friends of the people and work for the public. We cannot imagine a society without the police. Therefore, I request our police members once again to ignore rumours and return to their duties in a phased manner, ensuring that security arrangements are properly in place,” said A K M Shahidur Rahman, , who has now been appointed as the Director General of RAB in a fresh reshuffle on Wednesday.
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