Awami League came to power by promising zero tolerance against corruption. There were doubts from the beginning that the promise would be fulfilled. The reality is that political parties make many such promises before coming to power, but fail to implement them after coming to power or simply forget about the promises.
There is no reason to think that people thought differently when they heard the promise. But there is one consensus among these two classes of promise givers and promise takers – that corruption cannot be eradicated. Bringing tolerable levels is limited to both parties. The continuity of this corruption is based on such a solid foundation that the fulfillment of the promise remains in doubt. Criticized, adding adjectives such as eyewash or ostentatious.
When the topic of corruption came up, Raghav was always discussed. The Raghavs are safe, they are not caught or dare not catch them – the government, there were many funny words. Opposition parties bring allegations of corruption daily from outside the power, it is also the routine work. Basically everything runs in parallel.
In the meantime, the former IG of Police, Jadrel Officer Benazir Ahmed has come to the scene accused of corruption. The media is hungry to find corruption. One after another, surprising corruption information is coming out. What are you saying, such questions can be heard from its sources. After accusing Benazir, at least this much can be said – Raghav also gets caught.
The question is that only Benazir is corrupt who set a precedent? Hopefully, the answer is being found by looking at the actions of the ACC. It has been reported that more than half a hundred policemen have already come under the net of ACC. Whose positions are from Constable to DIG. There are current and past. According to the published news, there are policemen of almost all ranks including DIG, Additional DIG, SP, Additional SP, ASP, Inspector, Sub-Inspector, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Constable in addition to former and current Additional IGP. Against each of them, there are various allegations of acquiring illegal wealth worth hundreds of crores of rupees by abusing power, bribery, abetting terrorists, disobeying the law.
In the case against DIG Mizanur Rahman, who was dismissed from the police force, the court of the country sentenced him to 14 years in prison. It was alleged that he had acquired assets of Tk 3 crore 28 lakh beyond the known income. The lower court sentenced DIG Mizanur Rahman to 14 years on June 21, 2023. After DIG Mizan’s appeal, the High Court upheld the sentence on February 28 (2024). Justice Md. The High Court bench of Kamrul Hossain Mollar dismissed Mizanur Rahman’s appeal challenging the judgment of the trial court. (Source Bangla Tribune, 2 June 2024)
Among the 2 lakh 12 thousand members of the police force, this number of more than half a hundred may seem very small. However, it must be admitted that 100% of the 2 lakh 12 thousand policemen are not Benazir Ahmed. It must also be said that 5/10,000 of the two lakh police officers are corrupt. But after this step, satisfaction can be expressed – Raghavs are also being caught.
Is corruption only in the police? So who handcuffs the corrupt? Not all police officers are involved in corruption. Many people join it as well. In a news published two years ago, it can be seen that the most corruption in Bangladesh is in institutions engaged in maintaining law and order. It may be thought that the government is going to crack down on corruption through the institution most accused of corruption. Passport and BRT were shown as the second and third place winners when law enforcement agencies were named as the most corrupt institutions.
According to a research institute, the proportion of corruption in the judicial service sector was 56.8%, in the health sector 48.7%, in local government 46.6 and in the land service 46.3%. So it cannot be said that only the police force is infested with corruption.
The corruption of these institutions and the sufferings of common people due to their corruption are often in the news. ACC is the institution responsible for looking at them. We also see the news that this ACC is not 100% free from corruption. Even though it seems like a ghost in the mustard field, this company has not yet reached the 10/20th position. So people still want to trust that this institution can hold the throat of corruption.
The former commission chairman was seen calling the ACC a toothless tiger. Is this tiger’s tooth growth arrangement is being done that way? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Evaluation of their work or what? No matter how big the organization is, the citizens of the country have a right to know about it. The issue of political will will come first in the discussion on the strength of the ACC. If the political will prevails, these ACCs can gradually spread their net in each area. There may be Benjir, the casino king Raghava will not always be caught. However, if the big, medium or small ones are caught regularly, then its impact can fall on the country’s economy.
Thousands of crores of rupees have been smuggled abroad, how is this possible? It is said that the chance of bringing Hundi into possession is less. But do you believe that they will be out of touch? The Begumpara that is being talked about, is it impossible to find out their Nadi-Nakshatra? There will be hundreds of such questions. The question is, what is the way to cure this disease? The first suggestion that comes from almost all the analysts is to ensure accountability in the administration, political will, making the ACC a strong and independent institution. The greatest strength is a person’s integrity. Punishment and reward can be ascertained for this.
Author: Journalist, children’s writer and liberation war researcher.
HR/Farooq/MS
