Anger is growing among police officials over their pending promotion after the home ministry initiation of gradual transfers in key operational positions ahead of the next general election to be held by December or January 2024.

Some of the aggrieved officers from 15, 17, 22, 24 and 28 BCS batches met home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the ministry and expressed their concerns.

A number of senior police officials said that because of their pending promotions they were not getting equal benefits enjoyed by the administration cadre officials.

An additional deputy commissioner from 28 BCS said that 25 of them were promoted to the rank of superintendent of police but 155 others were yet to be promoted after serving 13 years.

‘It’s disappointing for us,’ said the official at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Like him, another DMP deputy commissioner said that only six from 24 BCS batch were promoted to the rank of additional deputy inspector general although 165 of their batch were eligible for the post.

A deputy inspector general, who was present at the meeting with the home minister, said their officials basically found the technical discrimination in the promotion and posting.

The DIG said that officers from the 15 and 17 BCS batches in the administration cadre were promoted to the rank of additional secretary whereas hardly any police cadre officer from 15 and 17 BCS batches were promoted to the rank of additional inspector general of police.

‘We want promotion and transfer to take place considering the posts,’ said an assistant inspector general of police, who also joined the meeting. The home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, told New Age that the demands made by the police officials were very logical as they have the equal right to promotion as the administration cadre officers enjoy.

‘We are making a proposal and let’s see,’ he said, adding, ‘we want them to be promoted considering their morale.’

He denied the allegation that transfer and posting were taking place in the run-up to the next general election. He said that the promotion and transfer of the police were a regular process.

The minister argued that they were transferring those who were serving in the same post for two years.

The home ministry issued a gazette notification on July 17 changing the superintendents of police for Jhenaidah, Moulvibazar, Bandarban, Natore, Rajshahi, Khagrachari, Thakurgaon, Rajbari, Bagerhat, Laksmipur and Jamalpur. The 11 postings were made from officers of 25 BCS of 2006 and 27 BCS of 2008.

In another notification issued on July 17 by the ministry, 13 officers from 24 BCS batch of 2005, 25 BCS batch of 2006 and 27 BCS batch of 2008 were posted to Special Branch, Highway Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Police Bureau of Investigation, and Dhaka, Rajshahi and Sylhet metropolitan police.

Ahead of the next general election, two more major reshuffles were made in the police in the past week.

The ministry on July 16 transferred 16 police officers of the rank of deputy inspector general and 35 officers of the rank of deputy inspector general.

Of the 51 transfers and postings, the ministry changed two commissioners of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, and the Khulna Metropolitan Police and five deputy inspectors general in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Rangpur ranges.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, the secretary of the Citizens for Good Governance better known as Shujan, told New Age that the DIGs and SPs play crucial role during elections in the country.

He said that they saw successive governments to design their field administration and police services to keep control over the elections.

‘This is an old way of this thing,’ he said, adding, ‘the government do it considering the political loyalty of the officials while many officials who committed crimes or corruption also used to support incumbent to retain in power.’

He said, ‘This is why we are calling for caretaker government to hold fair elections.’