DMP explains police inaction during attacks on media offices

Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), SN Md Nazrul Islam, said that if police had intervened during the attacks, vandalism, and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Karwan Bazar, gunfire could have erupted, potentially causing two to four fatalities. This, he added, could have triggered retaliatory attacks against law enforcement, which is why no action was taken on that day.

He made the remarks on Monday (22 December) while responding to journalists’ questions at a press conference held at the DMP Media Centre.

Responding to a question about whether the DMP was capable of preventing the attacks at Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and Udichi, Nazrul Islam said, “We are capable. It is not that we can curb every incident. Based on past experiences—when public sentiment escalates—the state uses maximum resources to enforce action. On the day of the Karwan Bazar incidents, if we had intervened, there could have been gunfire and possibly two to four casualties, followed by attacks on police. If two to four members of the police had been killed that day…”

He added, “Only a year ago, the police had recovered from trauma and reached this level. If we had suffered casualties again, moving forward with the police force would have been impossible. That is why police did not intervene that day, and as a result, no human life was lost. In such a major incident, this is an achievement for us. Material losses can be compensated, but human life, once lost, cannot be restored. That is why police avoided taking action.”

Answering a follow-up question about whether any police action was taken, he said, “We acted as much as the situation allowed. We could have escalated to gunfire, but we deliberately avoided it because there were about four to five thousand people present. Intervening with only 50–100 personnel could have caused casualties among both police and civilians.”

He concluded, “Action must be taken considering the situation, location, and circumstances. Even if we wished, we cannot open fire everywhere, and it would not be appropriate to do so.”