Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has urged people of the country not to circulate unverified allegations against law enforcement agencies on social media without checking the authenticity of any incident.
The appeal came following the circulation of a photograph on Facebook alleging that a woman named Shreemoyee Rita Rani was assaulted by a former leader of Swechhasebak Dal in Mirpur of the capital and police refused to register a complaint over the incident.
In a press release issued on Saturday, DMP said it had reviewed the allegations circulating on Facebook. including a claim by former Chhatra League (now banned) leader SM Zakir that a complaint had been lodged with Mirpur Model Police Station, but police had refused to register a case.
However, an initial inquiry by the Mirpur Division of DMP found no record of any such complaint or case at any of the seven police stations under its jurisdiction, according to the press release signed by Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, deputy commissioner of DMP's Media and Public Relations Division.
Police also found no information indicating that a woman named Shreemoyee Rita Rani had visited any police station under the Mirpur Division to lodge a complaint over the alleged incident.
DMP said it was continuing its investigation to verify the authenticity of the photograph and the allegations, as well as to establish the identity of the woman concerned. However, her exact identity and address have not yet been established, it added.
DMP urged anyone who knows Shreemoyee Rita Rani or has reliable information about her identity, whereabouts or the alleged incident to contact the officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station or the deputy commissioner of Police (Mirpur Division).
The police said DMP remained committed to ensuring public safety, maintaining law and order and conducting impartial investigations into all complaints.