DHAKA, 20 March 2004 — Stung by bitter criticism from opposition parties and civil societies for deteriorating law and order, the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has deployed special plainclothes police teams to contain rising criminal activities in Dhaka city.
About 99 teams, each with six to twelve members incorporated from the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the newly formed Rapid Action Battalion, started functioning in the capital.
The teams, 59 from the DB and 40 from the RAT, are continuing their hunt for the criminals round the clock in and around the capital, the officials added.
According to a senior official of the DMP, out of 59 teams of the DB, 51 have been deployed in the South and East Divisions of the metropolis, while 36 teams of the Rapid Action Team (RAT), out of 40, are working in the North and West Divisions. Eight teams of DB and four from the RAT remain at stand-by at their respective headquarters to rush for any emergency situation, he added.
The police would support the DB and RAT teams when the special teams will conduct any massive crackdown on the dens of criminals, he further added.
Farook Ahmed, deputy commissioner (DC) of the DB, and his two additional deputy commissioners (ADCs) will supervise the operation and performance of their teams while M. Mazaharul Haque, DC of the RAT, will supervise his teams.
US Begins Finger-Printing Bangladeshi Visa Seekers
The United States Embassy in Dhaka has started using biometric identifiers for the visa application and issuance process, a system, which, Washington claims, has already been introduced in 60 other countries.
From now on, Bangladeshi visa applicants will have their index fingers scanned electronically for identification purposes for an interview with the mission. This scanning, an inkless process that requires less than one minute, will take place before the interview, according to the procedure spelt out by the embassy in Dhaka.
“Bangladesh is the second country in South Asia after Pakistan to have it,” Richard Adams, head of consular section of the US mission, told newsmen at the embassy.
Biometric identification process is a precondition for visa interview and visa issuance, specifically for the non-immigrant visa seekers. Terming it critical for American security, Adams said, “We can easily detect anyone before entry into the US.”
Azad May Be Sent to Bangkok for Treatment
Eminent writer and Dhaka University teacher Dr. Humayun Azad is likely to be sent to Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital for better treatment in a couple of days.
The government has taken the decision after consulting physicians at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) where Azad is currently undergoing treatment for stab wounds in the head and neck in an attack on Feb. 27. Unknown assailants attacked the professor of Bangla at Dhaka University with sharp weapons.
