New IGP orders police to join duty within 24 hours

The newly appointed Inspector General (IGP) Md Mainul Islam has ordered the policemen to join their respective units within the next 24 hours.

The new IGP also said legal action would be taken against some ambitious, unprofessional officers of the police force responsible for this unrest situation in the country.

He said these things in a press conference organized at the police headquarters around 4pm on Wednesday.

"Metropolitan police commissioners and district superintendents of police (SPs) will form Citizen Security Committees comprising senior citizens, professionals, student representatives, political and media personalities in their respective police station areas," he made direction. 

The committees will play an emergency role in providing security to police stations and areas under police stations and its final outline will be formulated later, said the IGP.

"Officers and forces of all metropolitan, district, river, railway and highway police stations have been asked to join their respective police lines within the next 24 hours," he added.

In order to maintain discipline of the police force, the IGP said, "I am instructing my colleagues at all levels to refrain from making any claims, comments and replies through social media."

The IGP said: "We have not been able to fulfill our responsibilities as per the expectations of the countrymen, focusing on the logical movement of anti-discrimination students. Because of this, many people are angry. A vacuum may have been created.”

“But we have started working to fill it up. Hopefully, this situation will change soon. We want to start anew to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. So everyone is being instructed to return to work within 24 hours.”

Admitting that there were operational errors in suppressing the student movement, the IGP said: "Many people including students, common people, police have been killed."

“I am sorry as IGP for everything.”

He called for everyone's cooperation.

Mainul Islam expressed special thanks to leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, patriotic armed forces, political leaders, media, civil society and all respected citizens for their sincere role in ushering in a new chapter of the country.

Mainul has been named after the government fired Sheikh Hasina-appointed IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun late Tuesday night.

Md Mainul Islam, commandant of Traffic and Driving School, will take over as the new Inspector General of Police, or IGP, the public administration ministry announced on Tuesday.