Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday told Parliament that an improvement in the country’s law-and-order situation is now visible, with law enforcement agencies arresting alleged perpetrators and bringing them to justice within a short time after crimes are committed.
“The improvement in the law-and-order situation is visible in Bangladesh. Since the present government took charge, whenever a crime has occurred, the perpetrators have been arrested and brought under the law within 24 to 48 hours or even less time,” he said.
The minister made the remarks, while replying to a supplementary question from National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Md Abul Hasnat (Comilla-4) in the House.
Responding to the lawmaker’s concerns over the law-and-order situation, he said police and other law enforcement agencies have made prompt arrests in several cases, including those that drew significant public attention.
“From the Ramisa case to the four recent murders in Rangpur, the police and other law enforcement agencies have been able to arrest the suspects within the shortest possible time and bring them under the law,” Salahuddin said.
He rejected broad allegations of failure by the Ministry of Home Affairs or law enforcement agencies, saying such claims should be backed by specific incidents and verifiable information.
“If you can point to any specific incident where the ministry or the law enforcement agencies have failed, we can give a detailed response to that particular incident,” the minister said.
He also questioned the basis of crime statistics cited by the lawmaker, saying figures presented in Parliament should be accompanied by their sources and methodology.
Salahuddin recalled that the government previously placed detailed crime statistics before Parliament, including through statements under Rule 300, covering different categories of criminal activities.
Responding to another supplementary question about the number of firearms and the recovery of weapons looted from different places, he said a committee comprising representatives of all relevant forces have been formed to recover the weapons.
The minister said law enforcement agencies are regularly recovering looted firearms and matching their serial numbers to identify them.
“We are continuously recovering weapons, including some of the looted firearms. We match their numbers and inform the media when such weapons are recovered,” he said.
Salahuddin expressed hope that all looted weapons, including those taken from prisons and other locations, will eventually be recovered.
Regarding allegations of political or partisan considerations in police recruitment during the previous government, he said an investigation into the matter is nearing completion.
The minister said investigators have found irregularities involving the recruitment of thousands of police constables and personnel of other ranks in several districts.
In some cases, he said, applicants allegedly changed their addresses to become eligible for recruitment in particular districts, including by purchasing small plots of land and using those addresses as their permanent or village addresses.
Salahuddin said several districts, including Faridpur, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Kishoreganj, have been identified where such irregularities were allegedly committed.
“We have reached an advanced stage in the investigation. Once it is finalised, we will make the findings public before the nation,” he said.
