"Sailing boat is also the poll symbol of the opposition Awami League," an official at the home ministry said referring to the recent change in the police emblem.

The police emblem contained a sailing boat surrounded by sheaves of paddy and wheat, and a water lily above the sail. The new one contains all the motifs but the sailing boat.

Apart from changing the emblem, the government has decided to change the colour of the police uniform in a bid to modernise the law enforcers. The government has already instructed to go for the change as well as carry out other instructions in this regard.

In a press release Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and President of Awami League Sheikh Hasina condemned the change and described it as politically motivated and a reflection of the government's meanness.

Hasina recalled the role and sacrifice of the police force during the War of Independence.

She said omitting boat from the police emblem while keeping the sheaf of paddy intact is intriguing. She demanded that the government rescind the decision and stop the culture of name-change and symbol-change.