7-day remand sought for OC Rakibul, arrested in sedition case over remarks on Sheikh Hasina’s return

Staff Reporter

Police Inspector Md. Rakibul Hasan, former officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Cantonment Police Station, has been arrested and sent to court in a sedition case on charges of spreading “anti-state and provocative statements” on social media.

A remand application has been filed in the learned court for the accused to be brought into police custody for 7 days for intensive interrogation to conduct a fair investigation into the case and uncover the main conspiracy behind the incident.

‘The police are very weak, Sheikh Hasina should come now, the police will not be able to do anything’, OC withdrawn over phone conversation

The officer-in-charge (OC) of the capital’s Cantonment Police Station, Md. Rakibul Hasan, was recalled on September 17 after an audio clip of him saying that the police would not be able to do anything if Sheikh Hasina returned home went viral on social media.

According to the police, the voice in the audio circulating on social media has been initially identified as that of OC Md. Rakibul Hasan.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) order issued cited ‘administrative reasons’ as the reason for his withdrawal.

Rakibul Hasan has been attached to the Central Reserve Office of the DMP Headquarters and Administration Division in an order signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed.

Earlier, on Wednesday night, September 16, the audio went viral on social media. In it, a person identified as an OC can be heard criticizing the government, administration, army, and police forces.

He is also heard alleging political affiliations of senior police officers and money laundering in the appointment of OCs.

In the audio, the person can be heard saying, “I know that Sheikh Hasina is coming in December. Nothing will happen, in fact, nothing will happen. You can imagine how weak the street police are. Terribly weak. They should have come. December is too late. They should have come this month. Now that they have come, these police will not be able to do anything.”

In the audio, the police officer can also be heard saying, ‘Senior officers are doing everything BNP. We are not doing BNP. All seniors are doing BNP, we are not doing BNP. We did not come to the department to do this. You will stay with food and chess, … and we will sit here and work, that will not happen.’

The audio also alleges that a senior police officer named Monir, the driver of a police station, is being promoted to the OC of the police station. The person can be heard saying, “Can this be tolerated? What else can I say? Those who are getting pasted are paying money to him (Monir), the pasting is happening in the morning.”

Addressing the senior official, the speaker in the audio said, “He should be ashamed. He didn’t have a job. If he could stay in the position he is in now for a year, he would have earned 100 crore taka.”

In the audio regarding the OC posting, the person can also be heard saying, “Those who were commissioners of the Awami League (currently banned) did not take money for OC posting. All the OCs who were during Benazir’s tenure were never transferred for money.”

Here he mentioned the case of former IGP and DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed.

In the audio, the police officer can also be heard saying, ‘DMP, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the capital city. Why would the OCs here go to pay money? The OCs here will go like this. You will do your job and collect the money.’

Regarding the experience of how he has made senior officials work, OC Rakibul can be heard saying, ‘I have done a job for a sir in Bhatara. Sir has taken one crore taka. I didn’t know that…. (Unclear words) I only have a relationship with him. This is the situation! Can jobs be done like this? They are giving positions to incompetent people (promoting them) and keeping qualified people in check.’

It was not possible to know the statement of the concerned OC Md. Rakibul Hasan regarding the voice and speech of the audio. Meanwhile, the DMP order has informed that he has been attached to the Central Reserve Police Force citing ‘administrative reasons’.