A poignant social media reflection by a senior Bangladeshi police official has laid bare ongoing institutional tensions within the force, shortly after he was abruptly attached to a remote training facility for sharing a newspaper article critical of police promotions.
Supernumerary Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Rezaul Karim, currently serving with the Special Branch (SB), revealed on Tuesday that he had been attached to the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Specialized Training Centre in Khagrachhari. The transfer order, issued on 24 August, followed allegations that a senior officer at Police Headquarters orchestrated the measure after Karim shared a news report titled “Risk of Chain of Command Breaking in Police, Controversy Over Promotion Proposal” on his personal Facebook profile.
Writing on social media shortly after receiving the order, the 29th BCS cadre officer expressed deep frustration over the internal culture of the law enforcement agency. He noted that despite maintaining absolute honesty and transparency throughout his career, vocal adherence to rules was rarely valued. He reflected bitterly on spending nine out of his fifteen years in service relegated to “dumping postings” under the previous Awami League administration, where he was widely regarded as a deprived officer.
Karim clarified in his post that the disciplinary measure stemmed directly from sharing the news article. He stated that after a senior officer at Police Headquarters questioned him about the post, he deleted the shared link. Nevertheless, the attachment order was issued shortly afterwards.
Speaking to journalists, Superintendent Karim explicitly alleged that Md Kamrul Ahsan, DIG (Confidential) at Police Headquarters—who was recently promoted to Additional Inspector General of Police—reprimanded him over the shared report right before the transfer order materialized. When contacted for comment on Tuesday evening, Additional IGP Kamrul Ahsan declined to offer an immediate statement, requesting reporters to meet him at his office instead.
Rezaul Karim entered the Bangladesh Police through the 29th BCS examination in 2011. Following his initial training at the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sarda, his career began with a posting at the Muktagacha APBn. Over the next nine years, his assignments remained confined to peripheral roles, including the Tourist Police, APBn, Aviation Security (AVSEC), In-Service Training Centres, and the Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police.
Despite the lack of prime postings during the previous regime, Karim earned significant public praise during his two-year tenure as Additional Superintendent of Police in Rajbari district, where his community-focused policing built strong local trust. During his assignment with the Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police, he introduced several visitor-friendly security initiatives and gained widespread national recognition for recovering hundreds of lost mobile phones, an effort that earned him appreciation from the public. Prior to his sudden transfer, he had been serving within the City SB unit.
