Hundreds of dismissed trainee sub-inspectors gathered in front of the Secretariat today, staging a human chain protest to demand their reinstatement.
The protesters, more than a hundred in number, are from the 40th Outside Cadet batch and were expelled from the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sardah, Rajshahi. They were accused of disciplinary breaches during their training, although many trainees have claimed that the accusations were unfounded or unjust.
Holding placards with slogans like “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and “Give my identity or shoot me in the chest. It’s either my job or death,” the protesters expressed their frustrations.
Ayesha Siddiqa, one of the dismissed trainees, shared her experience: “We were absent for three days starting September 29 due to an illness that often affects women during training. Despite this, I was served with a show-cause notice accusing me of skipping breakfast, and shortly after, I was expelled.”
Anamika Sarker, another trainee, added, “I received a show-cause notice during the three-day illness period. Despite providing medical documents, I was called back, but then served another notice and dismissed for a violation I never committed.”
Sheikh Farid, another protester, spoke about the financial strain of his dismissal: “My father, a farmer, borrowed Tk 5,000 every month to support me during training. After a year of hard work without receiving a salary, I’ve lost my job. Is this the country we wanted?”
The dismissed trainees’ grievances stem from their expulsion on October 23 last year, just a month before their scheduled graduation. A total of 252 trainees were expelled for alleged disciplinary breaches, with an additional 58 trainees dismissed on November 4.
Deepta Prashad Mitra, the coordinator of the protest, vowed that the movement would continue until their demands were met: “We are not going to back down until we get a fair resolution.”
The protesters are calling on higher authorities to review their cases and ensure accountability, insisting that their dismissals were unjustified and seeking immediate reinstatement.
