Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dr Md Nazmul Karim Khan has appealed for public cooperation, saying his officers are still shaken by violence earlier this month and cannot be expected to operate as if nothing happened.
Speaking at a Saturday press conference on the murder of journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin, Nazmul said the police were “very weak” and “traumatized” following the August 5 attacks, when several officers were beaten to death.
“Please let the police work. I have repeatedly said through you [the media] that I will work, and I am seeking your cooperation,” he told reporters.
According to the commissioner, fear has replaced the courage that officers once showed. “The courage of one policeman is now absent even among three policemen,” he said. “Police are still scared and traumatized. Expecting the same policing from a traumatized force is unrealistic.”
Nazmul acknowledged that his officers could not prevent Tuhin’s killing but said they moved quickly to arrest suspects. “We have been able to detect and catch the perpetrators within 24 hours. I ask for public cooperation in prevention efforts,” he said.
CCTV footage reviewed by police shows suspects attacking a man named Badsha with machetes. The commissioner said no bystanders called for help during the assault. “If police were present and did not intervene, that would be negligence. But negligence and limitations are different,” he said.
Only one journalist attempted to document the attack. That journalist, Tuhin, was later killed. “By the time police arrived, the attackers had fled,” Nazmul said.
Police say Badsha had withdrawn Tk 25,000 from a bank before a woman named Golapi allegedly lured him into a trap. When he resisted, she attacked him, and her associates joined in with machetes. Tuhin, who recorded the assault, reportedly refused to delete the footage and was hacked to death.
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the case.
The commissioner linked rising crime in Gazipur to unemployment following factory closures since August 5, and alleged that a political party with influence in the city is attempting to stir unrest.
As Bangladesh’s media community mourns the murder of Tuhin, a 32-year-old reporter killed on August 7, the official response has been one of grim resignation. “No country can bring crime down to zero,” said Nazmul. “Despite our efforts, incidents happen.”
