The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan Division, M Tanvir Ahmed, has been removed from his field-level post and attached to the DMP headquarters following a procession by members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations in the capital’s Gulshan area.
On Wednesday (16 September), Tanvir Ahmed was instructed to hand over his responsibilities to the next senior officer and report to DMP headquarters. The decision was communicated through an office order signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed.
According to the order, Tanvir Ahmed has been attached to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters for administrative reasons until further instructions. The order does not specify any particular allegation or disciplinary action against him, nor does it directly state that his removal was a consequence of the procession.
Earlier on the same day, Gulshan Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Daud Hossain was also withdrawn from his post. An order concerning the OC said that, for administrative reasons, he was attached to the central reserve office under the DMP headquarters and administration division from the morning of 16 September.
The administrative changes came after a procession in Gulshan on Friday (11 September). At around 11.45am, members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations reportedly marched along Road No. 3 near KFC in the Gulshan police station area.
Police moved to disperse the procession, after which protesters reportedly threw crude bombs at officers. Police arrested two people at the scene and recovered five crude bombs. At least 75 people have since been arrested in connection with the incident, according to the information provided in the original report.
The incident has drawn attention to security arrangements in Gulshan, an important commercial and diplomatic area of the capital. The timing and location of the procession have also prompted questions about how the gathering was detected and managed before it developed into a confrontation with police.
Speaking at an event at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said intelligence information had been available regarding the planned procession in Gulshan. He said some people had gathered in the area around 11am on the pretext of attending Friday prayers, but police may not have anticipated that they would organise a procession at that time.
The minister said action was subsequently taken against those involved.
The removal of the Gulshan OC and the attachment of the divisional DC to headquarters have now resulted in changes at two levels of the local police command. However, the official orders cite administrative reasons and do not provide a detailed explanation linking the two decisions directly to the 11 September incident.
Meanwhile, legal proceedings arising from the procession are continuing, with police carrying out arrests and investigations into the reported clashes and recovery of crude bombs. Any allegations against those arrested will ultimately be determined through the relevant legal process.
