Bangladesh Police is the no.1 corrupt in the world.
Shahinul Khalisdar
Tax Advisor | Business Advisor/ Taxation Expertise/ Enrolled Agent (EA)/Master of Science in Taxation (MST)/ Author
Bangladesh's government is facing devastating issues with tackling bureaucratic corruption in the administration. Frustrated citizens have filed a High Court Writ to combat corruption in the country. Eradicating a culture of corruption and criminal behavior is a challenging task.
Before 1950, the East Wing of Pakistan did not have its own administrative government. Calcutta served as the capital of Bengal, and the Rajputs and Zamindars governed the villages from their residences. They did not have a military and police, but they had the Lathial Bahini and Chowkidar. Prior to 1950, over 15 thousand Rajputs and Zamindars were known in Bangladesh, who fled East Pakistan after the East Pakistan Estate Acquisition Act of 1950.
The East Pakistan Governmental Administration was established with donations from wealthy Muslim families. The East Bengal Provincial Police was officially created after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and was later renamed the East Pakistan Police in 1955. The East Bengal Provincial Police Department was established with donations because the East Bengal Provincial Government did not have any money to run a department. This department is the key corrupt institution in the country.
After 1947, my father was instrumental in creating the East Pakistan Administrative Government. He consistently argued with Khawaja Nazimuddin and Nurul Amin in favor of establishing an Administrative Government in East Pakistan instead of the Nawabi system. Despite being much younger, he refused to support the Nawabi System of government.
I heard that in 1971, the East Pakistan Police held political detainees in custody and raped girls and boys without taking them to court. Some of the detainees vanished in their custody. They did many wrong things, and the blame for the mistreatment put on Pakistan's military and Razakers by the Muslim hatred for political gain, even though only the police had the legal authority to make arrests, not the military and Razakers. The Ansar assisted the police. After the war, almost all of East Pakistan's police officers, also known as "Daroga," built nice houses, which became known as "Daroga Bari." The Bangladesh Police is a corrupt law enforcement agency, which is why the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was created. The Bangladesh Police are known for taking bribes, even from beggars at the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, and for extorting money from the poorest people, including raping girls traveling on trains who cannot afford the fare.
领英推荐
According to various investigative reports, 74.4 percent of Bangladeshi people fell victim to corruption, while 55.7 percent reported having to pay an average bribe of Taka 6,635 for various services. The report highlighted the involvement of various agencies, including regular police, special police, traffic police, highway police, and the Rapid Action Battalion, in these corrupt activities.
Bangladesh has made significant progress in various socio-economic indicators, such as GDP, over the past two decades. However, the challenge of widespread corruption persists, costing the country about 4-5 percent of its GDP. Although the country has moved away from the bottom of the list of most corruption-affected nations, it still grapples with the perception of pervasive corruption, ranking second lowest in South Asia after Afghanistan. Money laundering, particularly through improper invoicing in foreign trade, remains a major concern, with estimated annual illicit transfers exceeding $10 billion.
Regrettably, corruption has become deeply rooted in Bangladeshi society and poses a significant barrier to accessing crucial public services. Eighty-nine percent of corruption cases occur in public service sectors, where individuals are compelled to pay bribes in order to access these services. Although there are official zero-tolerance policies against corruption, there have been limited concrete actions to uphold this commitment, leading to a contradiction in the country's efforts to address corruption.
Overall, while Bangladesh has made strides in various areas, addressing corruption is crucial for sustainable socio-economic development and political stability.