IGP’s ‘crossfire’ remark puts govt in 'uncomfortable position': Rizvi

Prime Minister’s Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday said the police chief’s hint at resumption of “crossfires” in the country will put the government in an “uncomfortable and frightening” situation.

The allusion to a potential resumption of “crossfires” by Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir will also harm the country, said Rizvi, the ruling BNP’s acting secretary general.

Rizvi made the remarks at the inaugural session of a free medical camp organised in front of BNP’s central office in Dhaka’s Paltan, marking the 48th founding anniversary of Jubo Dal, BNP’s youth wing.

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Terming Ali Hossain Fakir a part and mouthpiece of the BNP government, Rizvi rhetorically questioned how he could make a remark in support of “crossfires.”

If the IGP made the remark out of “mistake” or as a result of “a slip of tongue,” the matter could be treated differently, Rizvi said. Whatever the motive, the remark puts the government in a “difficult and scary position,” the BNP leader added.

He said that extrajudicial measures and punishments do not necessarily help establish the rule of law, and noted that crimes can be contained through objective application of available legal means.

Instead, if a responsible law enforcement authority speaks to get “cheap recognition” or attract “cheap plaudits,” it would only harm the nation and put the government in a difficult spot, Rizvi noted.

Crossfire is an exchange of fire between criminals and law enforcers, which could lead to the death of an outlaw.

Law enforcers across the world many a time have used “crossfire” as an excuse to kill criminals and dissenters. During the Awami League regime, RAB and police were accused both at home and abroad of killing criminals and “unwanted people” in the name of crossfire incidents, which many a time appeared “dubious and staged.”