A candid social media statement by a senior Bangladeshi police officer has exposed persistent institutional frictions within the national force, after he was unexpectedly attached to a remote hill-tracts training facility for sharing a news report concerning disputed police promotions.
Supernumerary Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Rezaul Karim, who was serving in the Special Branch (SB), revealed on Tuesday that he had been attached to the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Specialised Training Centre in Khagrachhari. Issued on 24 August, the punitive transfer order allegedly originated from Police Headquarters after Karim shared a report titled “Risk of Chain of Command Breaking in Police, Controversy Over Promotion Proposal” on his personal Facebook page.
Shortly after receiving his transfer notice, the 29th Civil Services (BCS) cadre officer posted an emotional reaction online, questioning the internal workplace culture of the law enforcement agency. He reflected with bitterness on his career trajectory, noting that despite maintaining complete professional integrity, officers who speak openly or adhere strictly to regulations often find themselves sidelined. Karim pointed out that out of his fifteen years of service, he had spent nine years assigned to low-profile “dumping postings” under the previous Awami League administration, which had left him widely recognised as a deprived officer within the service ranks.
In his online post, Karim explained that the administrative backlash was tied directly to his sharing of the news report. He clarified that after a senior official at Police Headquarters questioned him regarding the social media activity, he promptly deleted the post. However, the attachment order was issued shortly afterwards regardless of his compliance.
Karim publicly alleged that Md Kamrul Ahsan, the DIG (Confidential) at Police Headquarters who was recently promoted to Additional Inspector General of Police, had reprimanded him over the shared article right before the official transfer order was issued. When approached for a response on Tuesday evening, Additional IGP Kamrul Ahsan declined to provide an immediate comment on the allegations, advising reporters to visit his office in person.
Rezaul Karim began his career in the Bangladesh Police in 2011 after passing the 29th BCS examinations. Following basic training at the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sarda, he received his initial assignment at the Muktagacha APBn. For the next nine years, his professional assignments remained strictly confined to peripheral divisions, including the Tourist Police, APBn, Aviation Security (AVSEC), In-Service Training Centres, and the Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police.
Despite being consistently passed over for prime postings under the former government, Karim established a strong track record of public service. During a two-year tenure as Additional Superintendent of Police in Rajbari district, his proactive policing earned substantial goodwill among local residents. Similarly, during his assignment with the Tourist Police in Cox’s Bazar, he launched several visitor-friendly safety initiatives and received nationwide acclaim for leading efforts that recovered hundreds of lost mobile phones for citizens. Prior to his sudden transfer to Khagrachhari, he had been serving in the City SB unit.
