Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that bribery is one of the most significant challenges facing society and the state.
He stressed that without eradicating bribery, improving the country’s condition would be extremely difficult.
Speaking as the chief guest at an event at the Khulna District Shilpakala Academy auditorium on Monday afternoon, he called for collective efforts to address this issue.
He also urged an end to financial transactions in recruitment and transfers within the police and other law enforcement agencies, as well as a halt to political affiliations among government employees.
He said over the past 15 years, a neighboring country has benefited significantly from Bangladesh but is now spreading false propaganda after failing to secure further advantages.
"No more benefits will be granted, and they should refrain from overstepping," Jahangir added.
The adviser instructed law enforcement agencies not to provide undue advantages to any political party and said: “Flattery within law enforcement must stop. Arrests in civilian attire are prohibited and no innocent person should be detained. Action will be taken against those filing false cases and guilty individuals will not be spared.”
Addressing the recovery of stolen weapons, the adviser said: “Firearms have been looted from various police stations, but recovery efforts have not yielded satisfactory results. Restoring normalcy requires retrieving these stolen arms.”
He also expressed concerns over mob justice incidents, adding: “In several areas, people are taking the law into their own hands, leading to murders. Immediate steps must be taken to prevent such occurrences.”
Referring to the current economic issues, he said that the rising prices of essential commodities like oil, potatoes, and onions are among the biggest challenges.
Despite reducing VAT on soybean oil from 30% to 5%, availability issues persist due to global price hikes and the rising dollar rate.
He said that while potato prices have been high for the last two years, middlemen are reaping the benefits instead of farmers. Farmers have increasingly turned to potato cultivation, raising concerns about potential losses in the future.
Onion prices have also soared, prompting the government to aim for price stability during Ramadan, even though prices in Bangladesh tend to rise during the holy month, contrary to global trends, the adviser added.
The meeting included officials from the Armed Forces Division, Police, RAB, BGB, Coast Guard, Ansar and VDP, Department of Prisons, Fire Service and Civil Defense, Department of Immigration and Passports, and Department of Narcotics Control.
Later in the afternoon, the adviser will attend a meeting with officials from the Khulna region under the Ministry of Agriculture at the Department of Agricultural Extension office to discuss agricultural initiatives and developments.
