Govt adopts strategic plans to further improve law and order: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said the government has adopted short-, medium- and long-term strategic plans to further improve the country’s law-and-order situation, saying visible progress since the present government took office.

Replying to a question from Chapainawabganj-3 MP Nurul Islam during the question-answer session in Parliament, he said maintaining overall law and order and ensuring the safety of people and their property are among the government’s highest priorities.

The minister said the police have intensified efforts to prevent murder, mugging, abduction and other forms of crime.

“Efforts are underway to restore the morale of the police force after it was left in a fragile state following the July uprising and make it capable of operating at full strength,” he said.

Salahuddin said further visible improvement in law and order could be achieved quickly with the cooperation of the people, in line with the strategic plans adopted by the government.

Replying to a question from Gaibandha-5 MP Md Abdul Wares, he said 6,286 members of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were dismissed and 2,510 were sent into compulsory retirement following the 2009 BDR mutiny and brutal killings.

The minister said disciplinary measures and punishments were imposed following legal procedures and no innocent BDR member was dismissed.

As a result, there is no scope for reinstating those who were dismissed, he said, adding that dismissed BDR members who were accused in murder and explosives cases also cannot be reinstated.

Replying to a question from Dhaka-5 MP Mohammed Kamal Hossain, Salahuddin said a project titled “Development of Smart Policing in DMP” has been included in the list of new, unapproved projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) to bring Dhaka city under a CCTV monitoring system.

He said the project’s Development Project Proposal (DPP) is currently being revised in line with the decision of a scrutiny committee meeting held on the original DPP.

If the project is approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), necessary steps can be taken to bring the entire Dhaka Metropolitan Police area under a CCTV monitoring system, the minister added.

In reply to a question from reserved-seat MP Salina Sultana, he said 60,598 anti-drug drives were conducted across the country between February 17 and August 31, 2026.

A total of 18,040 cases were filed during the drives, and 18,858 suspected drug traffickers were arrested and brought under the law, Salahuddin said.

Replying to a question from Rajshahi-4 MP Md Abdul Bari Sarder, he said Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) data showed that 829 double-decker buses have valid permission to operate on various highways across the country.

However, some unscrupulous bus owners subsequently modified the bodies of double-decker buses and converted them into double-decker sleeper buses for operation on highways, the minister said.

The authorities have cancelled the registrations of several such double-decker sleeper buses through mobile courts, he added.