Dhaka, Jan 05 (V7N) —Trainee sub-inspectors (SI) of the 40th Cadet Batch of the police have staged a sit-in in front of the Secretariat, demanding their reinstatement to ongoing training after being discharged due to alleged misconduct.
The protests took place early Sunday morning at the west gate of the Secretariat.
Protesters carried placards with various slogans, including “In the land of red and green, there’s no place for discrimination”, “Why should we be a burden when our mission is to serve the country?”, “365 days without pay, return our jobs”, “We demand reinstatement immediately” and “Our sole demand is quick reinstatement.”
The authorities dismissed 321 SIs in four phases for alleged misconduct both in the field and during classes.
The dismissed trainees have termed the allegations as absurd, claiming there was no disorder at the academy.
They claimed that checking the academy's CCTV footage would provide proof of their claims.
The trainee SIs also said they have been victims of discrimination.
A trainee SI said they were not present at the academy on the day when the show-cause letter was issued, as they were on leave.
Another trainee shared the emotional toll of the situation, saying: “We come from lower-middle-class families. Our families sacrificed so much for us to secure this job, yet today we are dismissed. The pain is indescribable.”
They said they had submitted memorandums to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and other relevant departments, but have yet to receive any response.
They said that they would hold a brief press conference after their sit-in, where they would provide further details.
END/MSS/AJ
Comment: