In a move aimed at modernising the appearance of law enforcement agencies, the Yunus Administration of Bangladesh unveiled new uniforms for the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Ansar-Village Defence Party on Monday.
Home Affairs Adviser of Bangladesh, Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, said, “We have finalised three new uniform designs for the police, RAB, and Ansar. These uniforms will be phased in gradually, with the current attire being replaced over time.” The new uniforms will feature distinct colours for each force. The police will now wear iron-coloured uniforms, RAB personnel will wear olive green, and Ansar will be dressed in golden wheat, he added.
However, politicians and rights campaigners on Monday said that the change in the uniforms was far from bringing real reforms to the forces. They argued that uniform changes only offer superficial, external improvements and do not address the core issues of police accountability, mentality, and efficiency.
Political leaders and rights campaigners emphasised the need for legal and structural reforms, such as changes to the colonial-era police act, to ensure the police serve the public effectively.
Moreover, Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that the mentality of the police needed to be changed, and they required motivation to develop as servants of the people, reports New Age newspaper.
Salahuddin said that changes in uniforms would not make the police and other law enforcement agencies more people-oriented.
New Age quotes Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik as saying, “Changes in the uniforms of the law enforcement agencies would bring only an external change; it would not ensure fundamental changes in the forces.” He added that changes in integrity, efficiency, and accountability within the state forces should take priority, while altering the dress code could have been addressed later.
Following the July uprising, numerous murder cases were filed with police stations across the country, often listing 200–300 unknown accused. Malik said this raised doubts about whether justice for the murders would be done. The efficiency of the police force must be improved to ensure proper investigation of the cases, as people are seeking justice, he said.
