The office of the Detective Branch of police in Dhaka’s Minto Road had long been considered a dreadful place owing to its reputation of subjecting political activists to torture by its personnel. Its members, wearing “DB”-inscribed jackets, were considered the most dangerous persons, raiding places to arrest most-wanted criminals and fugitives.
People used to think that those taken to the DB office were subjected to inhuman torture during interrogation, and the victims would reappear in a sorry state.
The current DB chief, Additional Commissioner of Police Harunor Rashid, has been able to change the image of this specialized force. It started with senior BNP leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, who was taken to the DB office, and Harun entertained him with lunch.
A few hours before that, Gayeshwar was agitating on the streets to demand the resignation of the government but came under police attack and suffered injuries. Photos of the lunch and videos of how the BNP leader was entertained with respect went viral on social media.
Later, people from different classes and professions, including showbiz stars, went to the DB office to report their problems that could not be settled by police stations. Many of them were entertained with rice at the DB office, and those photos have gone viral on social media.
Because of the new trend, netizens started calling the DB office a “rice hotel”. The DB has taken these comments positively, though people are talking about it in humour.
On Tuesday, DB chief Harun explained the matter while talking to reporters at his office on Minto Road.
“It is a question of a sense of humour. Bengalis are a nation with a sense of humour. The application of humour in literature feeds our minds. I think it's a humorous thing that DB police feed people with rice. We don't invite anyone to eat. If someone comes to us for work, we try to do his work. Apart from this, we offer them lunch at lunchtime. If s/he accepts the offer, they eat with us.
“We aren’t the British police. We are now the police of an independent country. At one time, people were afraid to go to the police station. Now that I am a DIG, I have hundreds of people coming here for some work. People come to us with various complaints,” he said.
Harun said the DB is a place of trust because all complaints are heard.
“I think it is our responsibility to serve the people. The DB is an example of humanitarian policing. In Islam, if a person visits someone's house, he or she must be entertained.
“We are the police of a free country. It is not bad if we entertain someone. Those who label the DB office as a rice hotel say it in a good sense. We are encouraged by this,” he said.
“People come, work, and even praise us for eating. People are happy if they can eat at lunchtime. We arrest criminals and entertain people as humanitarian police,” the DB chief added.