Academics, cultural activists, and professionals under the banner of the Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee have issued a strongly worded statement sharply criticising Education Minister Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milon for what they describe as an irresponsible, unconstitutional, and dangerous statement that has directly encouraged widespread police harassment of ordinary citizens, particularly teenagers and young people, under the guise of an anti-narcotics campaign.
In recent days, the minister reportedly declared that teenagers found roaming unnecessarily at night would be questioned by police, and if such actions violated the Constitution, “they would deal with it later.”
Civil society activists argue that this remark, made by a minister whose portfolio has no direct jurisdiction over law enforcement or internal affairs, effectively grants police a license to intimidate and abuse citizens in public spaces after dark, bypassing fundamental rights and due process.
The statement points out that the consequences of the minister’s words are already visible: in the past few days, police have carried out aggressive “anti-narcotics drives” at Rabindra Sarobar, Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, and various locations outside the capital.
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Instead of targeting real drug syndicates, border smuggling networks, or major narcotics kingpins, officers have been seen arbitrarily searching bags of innocent young people and citizens, harassing them solely for being present in public parks in the evening, and in some cases resorting to physical violenceโeven when no contraband is found.
Particularly egregious was the incident at Suhrawardy Udyan on February 23, where Dhaka University student leader Naim Uddin (convener of Biplabi Chhatra Jubo Andolon’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit) was allegedly pulled from behind, thrown to the ground, and beaten with batons by police officers in the presence of Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Md. Masud Alamโsimply for questioning officers and engaging in an argument during the operation.
Similar reports have emerged of teenagers being slapped or roughed up without provocation. Civil society leaders state that “there are no words strong enough to condemn” such actions.
The statement questions the legal basis for police ordering ordinary citizens out of publicly accessible parks and open spaces at nightโespecially when such orders are issued live in front of media cameras. They emphasise that spending time or gathering in parks is not a crime, and that arbitrary searches, humiliation, and physical assault on young people constitute a grave violation of human rights and personal liberty.
The Committee holds both Education Minister Ehsanul and Ramna DC Masud Alam directly accountable: the minister for creating the enabling environment through his reckless remarks, and the police official for failing to prevent or stop the violence under his command.
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In light of these developments, the committee has made the following clear demands:
1. Immediate removal of Deputy Commissioner Md. Masud Alam from his current duties, followed by a full judicial inquiry and appropriate legal action against him.
2. A public apology from DC Masud Alam for the harassment of ordinary citizens, along with the dismissal from service and criminal prosecution of the police personnel directly involved in the assaults.
3. The Education Minister must immediately acknowledge his mistake, withdraw his unconstitutional statement, and issue a public apology for contributing to the climate of police harassment.
4. All harassment of ordinary citizens in the name of anti-narcotics operations must stop without delay.
5. The constitutional right of citizensโespecially the youthโto freely access and use public parks and open spaces must be fully protected and guaranteed, free from intimidation or arbitrary interference.
Senior journalist and political analyst Probir Kumar Sarker said that continuing such practices not only erodes public trust in law enforcement but also risks alienating an entire generation by turning public spaces into zones of fear rather than leisure and community. He urged the government to refocus anti-narcotics efforts on dismantling high-level syndicates and smuggling networks rather than terrorising innocent citizens in parks in the evening.
He added that personal freedom and the right to peaceful assembly in public spaces are non-negotiable democratic rights that must be upheld, not undermined by ministerial overreach or unchecked policing.
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