Two hundred fifty-two trainee sub-inspectors at the Bangladesh Police Academy have been discharged due to violations of academic discipline, not for political reasons, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said.
The adviser made this statement in response to journalists' questions during a press briefing at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday afternoon.
"They were discharged primarily due to violations of academic discipline, not for political reasons… Sometimes, an entire course may be cancelled."
When asked about the nature of the violations, he said discipline was a “broad issue” and that there was no opportunity to explain it in detail right then.
The 252 sub-inspectors undergoing basic training at the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sardah, Rajshahi, are set to lose their jobs over a breach of discipline.
These officers would be discharged in phases, confirmed the academy’s principal, Additional Inspector General of Police Md Masudur Rahman Bhuiyan earlier in the morning.
The senior officer said the 252 individuals were being discharged due to disciplinary violations during their training.
"There were 823 cadet SIs in training. Of them, 252 trainees have been handed dismissal letters."
The dismissal letter reads: "On October 1 at 7:25am, the concluding parade practice for the 40th BCS (Police) Probationers Batch-2023 was underway at the Bangladesh Police Academy parade ground. During the parade break, breakfast was served to all the participants per the pre-arranged menu. However, you did not eat the provided breakfast, and instead caused a commotion, creating extreme disorder on the field. You incited other cadet SIs, organized them against the academy authorities, and engaged in disruptive and insubordinate behaviour.
"Moreover, you left the parade ground without permission, returning to your barracks at your own will. Such behaviour as a cadet SI is entirely against the discipline expected of a trainee. Your actions severely disrupted the overall training process and encouraged others to breach discipline. As a result, Police Inspector Mohsin Ali submitted a written report to the principal of the academy (additional IGP) accusing you of misconduct.
"Due to this accusation, on behalf of the principal, the superintendent of police (admin and logistics) ordered you to submit an explanation within three days. You responded within the given time, but upon review, your explanation was deemed unsatisfactory. Your actions reflect a serious breach of discipline, which is considered a major obstacle and disqualification for working as a sub-inspector, a critical and responsible position in the Bangladesh Police."
Multiple sources in the police reported that during basic training, individuals were often discharged due to physical incapability or violations of discipline.
However, the mass discharge of 252 officers at once was unprecedented, they added.
