With the fall of the autocratic Awami League government on 5 August, the police force had plunged into total disarray with many of its members, directly involved in suppressing the mass uprising, going into hiding.

People unleashed their repressed anger on the policemen after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, vandalising and torching a number of police stations across the country, especially the capital.

Initially, some 515 policemen took shelter in cantonmentsto save their lives after the government’s fall. 

As the interim government assumed office, the force is going through a big shakeup. Many officers have been either sacked or sent into forced retirement apart from the removal of many from important posts and transfer of others.

Meanwhile, a number of police officers who worked to implement the agendas of the fallen fascist government have gone into hiding to save them.

A total of 187 policemen did not join work while cases have been filed against 184 officers. The law enforcers have arrested 26 cops and 23 have been sent into forced retirement and many have allegedly managed to flee the country, according to information from police. 

There are many officers who joined work but refrained from duty showing different excuses.

Although most of the policemen returned to their workplaces, they largely remained inactive. It is reported that the chain of command in the force could not be restored completely.

Many policemen who were very close to the past government and involved in suppressing the mass uprising are still at large.

One of them is former chief of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Harun Or Rashid. He went into hiding on 5 August when the fascist government fell and Sheikh Hasina fled to India. A few days ago, a telephonic conversation between him and a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader was leaked. However, he is yet to be either sent into retirement or suspended or sacked or arrested.

Harun is wanted in 38 cases filed over murders that took place during the quota reform movement and subsequent uprising spearheaded by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and attack on BNP leader Zainul Abdin Farroque in 2011. 

Assistant Inspector General (Media and PR) of police Enamul Haque Sagor said the police department has started to take necessary steps against those who are yet to join work.

Additional IGP Meer Rezaul Alam was sent into forced retirement and he is wanted in several murder cases. However, sources said he managed to flee to Sidney in Australia via Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 18 September.

A number of murder cases were filed against Bilop Kumar Sarkar, additional deputy inspector general (Addl DIG) of police, who was widely criticised for his partial activities. Sources said he managed to flee to India on 10 September through Dahagram at Patgram in Lalmonirhat with the help of brokers in exchange for Tk1.5 lakh. 

Former DMP Commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruq tried to flee abroad through the Dhaka airport on 20 August but failed.

But he was not arrested though he is wanted in a murder case filed at Kotwali Police Station.

Contacted, Golam Faruq said he is suffering from eye problems and that is why he wanted to go to Bangkok in Thailand. But he was not allowed to leave the country, he added.

According to police, a total of 23 senior officers were sent into forced retirement after the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Former Special Branch of police chief Monirul Islam, ex-DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, ex-Criminal Investigation Department chief Mohammad Ali Mia and ex-Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit chief Md Asaduzzaman are among them.

Several cases were filed against them, but they have not yet been arrested.

A few days ago, a phone conversation between Monirul and a television reporter went viral on social media. In the conversation, Monirul said he went into hiding in fear of reprisal by militants.

Sources in the police said permission from the Home Ministry was obtained to arrest a large number of fugitive police officers.

Meanwhile, DMP Commissioner Mainul Hassan on Sunday said the process has begun to take action against those policemen who are yet to join work.

He said this at the inaugural ceremony of the CRAB-Walton Sports Festival at Paltan Outdoor Stadium in the capital.

The DMP chief also said action will be taken against the underworld criminals, who are out of jail on bail, if they commit crimes anew. 

He said they are working to improve the law-and-order situation.