Police have planned a special week-long security operation they are calling “block raid” as a preparation for the upcoming polls in the two city corporations of Dhaka.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) are assisting the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in the drive.
The DMP wanted to start the drives from yesterday, but police said last night that they did not eventually go on any such drive.
“The BNP, Jamaat and Shibir are carrying out violence, arson and bomb attacks in the name of a political movement. They are spending large amounts to finance criminals, addicts and muggers for these atrocities,” a senior DMP official told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday seeking anonymity.
“The DMP has started the block raid in Dhaka to immediately stop such criminal activities and bring the financiers to book,” the official said.
In January, police and RAB conducted joint drives in violence-prone northern districts including Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Gaibandha, Bogra and Rangpur.
According to a notice that the Dhaka Tribune has accessed, 80 security personnel, comprising 20 from each of the forces, divided into eight groups will conduct the special drives in eight crime zones in the city until March 31.
The notice, signed by DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, has recently been circulated among all deputy commissioners associated with the crime department. The eight crime zones, actually the eight divisions of the DMP, are Ramna, Lalbagh, Motijheel, Wari, Tejgaon, Gulshan, Mirpur and Uttara.
RAB 3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Golam Sarwar, however, said these drives were nothing new and they had been conducting the drives for some time now. “The drives will continue,” he told the Dhaka Tribune last night.
Tejgaon division Deputy Commissioner of police Biplob Kumar Sarker said the law enforcers had begun the month-long joint drive on February 23. “The recent notice is just about extending the drives until the end of March.”
Sources said during the raids, the law enforcers will take complete control of these areas – controlling human and vehicular movements – and search for suspected criminals and arsonists.
The notice said BGB Additional Director Maj M Fazle Rabbi, the commanding officers of RAB 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10, and the DMP additional deputy commissioner for crime and ops had been assigned as the focal point officials of the special operation. DMP Joint Commissioner (crime and ops) Meer Reazaul Alam has been tasked with coordinating the drives.
“The drives will be based on information gathered by the deputy commissioners of police,” the DMP official said.
“The DMP has asked officials to conduct visible drives instead of undercover raids, so that the public can have confidence and faith on the law enforcers,” he said.
“The joint teams can seek support from well-known personalities, public representatives, community police and beat police members to make the drives successful,” he added.
When contacted, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, state minister for home affairs, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government wants to ensure sound law and order for the polls. “We will not let anyone spoil the peaceful atmosphere or create trouble during the elections.”
The city corporation polls are slated to be held on April 28 while deadline for submitting nomination papers is March 29.