File photo.
Special Correspondent //

The police headquarters has stopped the salaries of 187 police members who have refrained from joining work after August 5. Cases are being filed against them at the police station for taking other legal measures due to their absconding. The police have even formed a separate team to arrest them. Their official passports are being cancelled so that they cannot flee abroad.

Many police members have not joined work after the political upheaval on August 5. Although the police headquarters gave them a deadline to join work, 187 police members did not join work within the specified time.

Sources at the police headquarters say that the police members who have not joined work include 1 DIG, 7 additional DIGs, 2 police superintendents, 1 additional police superintendent, 5 assistant police superintendents, 5 police inspectors, 14 SIs and sergeants, 9 ASIs, 7 naiks and 136 constables. Two of the absconding constables are female.

It is believed that most of the absconding police officers have left the country and a large part of them are staying in India. Sources say that former Additional Commissioner of DMP Harun Ur Rashid tops the list of absconding police members, with 38 cases against him. There are also Additional DIGs Biplob Kumar Sarkar, Prolay Kumar Joardar, Khandaker Nurunnabi, SM Mehedi Hasan, Sanjit Kumar Roy and Sudip Kumar Chakraborty; against whom multiple cases were filed after August 5.

Police headquarters officials said that action has been taken against these absconding police members. Departmental cases have already been filed against several of them.

Recently, Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (retd.) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said in this regard that those who are no longer in the police force are now terrorists. Action will be taken against them under the Terrorism Act.

Police headquarters says that the process of canceling the official passports of absconding and dismissed officers has also been started; so that they cannot flee the country. The Passport Department has already sent a letter seeking the names and national identity cards of the concerned officers.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of the media wing of the police headquarters, Enamul Haque Sagar, said that as part of taking action against the absconding police members, first the salaries and allowances are stopped and later a case is being filed.

Regarding the non-salary, a fugitive officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police said that he last received his salary for the month of August. He has not received any salary and allowance since then. The officer also said that he is not working as there is an arrest warrant in his name. However, he is still in service on leave. Even then, his salary has been stopped.

A DIG-rank officer of the police headquarters, who did not want to be named, said that those who have been temporarily suspended are getting half the salary and allowances. However, those who are absconding and have not joined any station are not getting anything. Action has been taken against them.

The official also said that a committee has been formed in the police to arrest the officials who are absconding; the committee is looking after the general diary, cases, salary and allowances against them and other overall decisions. This committee has formed a separate team to arrest them. Legal action will continue against them.