The past BNP-led four-party coalition government first cut the training period of newly recruited police officers to ensure their presence in the field during the election and then arranged the whole police department in such a way that would be helpful during the election.

The steps taken so far by the CG show that the interim government of President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed wants to strengthen that design rather than dismantle it.

Speaking very highly of the CG, immediate past prime minister Khaleda Zia on Friday defended its steps for making changes in the top posts of the police besides changing the SPs (superintendent of police) of all 64 districts and the OCs (officers-in-charge) of metropolitan and district areas.

An analysis of the so-called reshuffle, however, shows that many police officers, who had enjoyed favour during the five-year rule of the previous government, have been given promotion and postings that involve duty during the upcoming election.

On the other hand, those who were deprived of due promotion and postings during the previous government's rule have been neglected this time also.

These deprived police officers have either been made OSD (officer on special duty) or "dumped" in the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Sardah Police Academy, Police Training Centres (PTC), training schools, Police Special Training School (PSTS), Special Branch (SB), Railway Police, riot department, and the hill tracts. In these sectors these officers will have no scope of election duty.

After curtailing the basic training programme at Sardah Police Academy in 2005, the then government shortened the six-month field-level training for assistant superintendents of police--recruited through the controversial 24th Bangladesh Civil Service examinations--to three months. The reason was to ensure that the BNP-led government could handle the posting process of these police officers within its tenure.

Unlike the previous caretaker government's moves to depoliticise the police for ensuring a free and fair election, the present CG rather promoted a few officers while conducting the eyewash reshuffle by merely sending officers from one place to another.

DRAMA IN TOP OFFICES
In its first move towards the reshuffle, the CG cancelled the contractual appointments of Abdul Aziz Sarker, director general (DG) of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), and Farrukh Ahmed Chowdhury, additional inspector general (IG) of police (administration), on October 31.

Additional IG of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Khoda Bux Chowdhury was made the DG Rab on October 31. The CG made Bux the IG in two days, making the then IG Anwarul Iqbal, who is known for honesty, an OSD.

Chowdhury Kamrul Ahsan, who is senior to Bux, was made OSD on October 31 in an apparent bid to favour Bux.

Just before handing over power, the BNP-led government sent Additional IG Sadat Hossain, who was also senior to both Chowdhury Kamrul and Khoda Bux, into forced retirement to clear Bux's way.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner SM Mizanur Rahman was made the CID chief on October 31 and Rajshahi Range DIG Naim Ahmed filled his post at the DMP.

Interestingly, Naim was swapped with SB chief ABM Bazlur Rahman in less than 48 hours.

Similarly, before starting well the work as CID chief, Mizanur Rahman was made DG Rab on November 2.

All these officers enjoyed strong favour from the previous government, sources said.

Khoda Bux, who was an SP in Dhaka in 2001, was promoted as IG in just five years superseding a few senior officers. As DMP commissioner Mizanur also reportedly ran the department as best suited the previous government's desires.

Khulna Metropolitan Police commissioner Khan Sayeed Hasan, who was made the Rajshahi Range DIG on October 31, was one of the officers getting promotion in the quickest possible time.

DIG of SB Dr Sadequr Rahman was transferred to CID on October 31 only to be brought back to the SB on November 19.

INSIGNIFICANT TRANSFER OF OCs AND SPs
Khaleda Zia claimed Friday that all the SPs and OCs were changed but what she avoided in her speech is that only very few new recruits were appointed in these posts and that the same old officers only changed their offices.

The OCs were also transferred to other police stations of the same range under the same DIGs.

The changes in the posts of SP were also done as per the design of the previous government as the CG transferred many SPs from one district and metropolitan area to another. The CG, however, did not redress the cause of the deprived.

SP Abul Kalam Siddique was transferred from Shariatpur to Patuakhali, and Shahidur Rahman from Thakurgaon to Nilphamari. Abu Naser M Khaled of Netrakona, SM Rokanuddin of Meherpur, Delwar Hossain Mia of Dinajpur, Abdullah Al Mahmud of Rajshahi, and Morshedul Alam of Tangail were transferred to DMP as deputy commissioners (DC) on November 6.

Gazipur SP Shafiqul Islam was made the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) DC, and Lokman Hakim was transferred from RMP to DMP, while DMP DCs Mahbubul Alam was transferred to Rajshahi as SP, Reazul Karim to Gazipur, AKM Sahidur Rahman to Bagerhat, Abul Khayer to Comilla, and Israil Hawaladar to Tangail the same day.

The transfers of assistant IG Humayun Kabir from the police headquarters to Khulna PTC, and Sardah Police Academy Principal Nazibur Rahman to Highway Police as DIG, and the swapping of Chittagong APBn commandant SM Mahfuzul Haq Nuruzzaman with AIG Banoj Kumar Majumder of the police HQ, also seem to have no major effect in terms of depoliticising the police department.

THE FAVOURED
The SPs and DCs, who were close to the BNP-led four-party alliance and enjoyed strong favour during its rule, now also have good postings.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) DC Nazmul Karim Khan, Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) JCD unit vice president and brother of former special judge and BNP candidate from Kishoreganj sadar Rezaul Karim Khan Chunnu, has been made Khulna SP.

Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) DC Gazi Jasim Uddin, who was president of Patuakhali district unit Islami Chhatra Shibir, was made Sherpur SP; former JCD president of Rajshahi BIT Anwar Kamal was transferred from Faridpur to Cox's Bazar; and DMP DC Rezaul Karim Mallick, who was general secretary of Amra Ziar Sainik, was transferred to Laxmipur as SP.

DMP DC Monjur Morshed Alam, also son of the nayebe amir of Jamalpur unit Jamaat, was made SP in Pabna--district of Jamaat Amir Motiur Rahman Nizami; former BAU Shibir president Munir Hossain was made SP in Netrakona, district of former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar; and former BAU JCD senior vice-president Mostafa Kamal was transferred from Bagerhat to Dinajpur.

Former Naogaon SP Fazlur Rahman, who allegedly patronised Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh kingpin Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, is now the SP of Manikganj; and Chapainawabganj SP Ashrafur Rahman, who was the president of Islamic University unit JCD, was transferred to Barisal.

DMP DC Abdul Mannan, who is known as a "jatiyatabadi police officer" because of his BNP connection, was transferred to Comilla as SP at the end of the previous government's rule. But after taking office, the CG first brought Mannan back to DMP and later made him Habiganj SP.

Interestingly, no one has been transferred from the city unit of the Detective Branch and Special Branch.

FATE OF THE DEPRIVED UNCHANGED
SP Mokhlesur Rahman, who was made an OSD in the beginning of the four-party coalition government's rule, remained deprived of promotion during almost five years. At the fag end of its tenure, Khaleda's government made him the commandant of Barisal Range Reserved Force only to transfer him to Khulna PTC a few days later.

After taking over, the CG first made Mokhlesur the DIG of SB and then transferred him to Sardah Police Academy 15 days later.

Although the Superior Selection Board recommended promoting Additional DIG Sheikh Hemayet Hossain to DIG, the BNP government ignored the recommendation and kept him at the Rangpur PTC.

The CG also did not promote Hemayet and transferred him as DIG to Railway Police. He was deprived of postings as he hails from Gopalganj, the area of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, sources alleged.

Many such police officers had been deprived of good postings and promotion during the immediate past government's rule for hailing from Faridpur and Gopalganj regions and belonging to the minority community.