Do police really need to use more powerful weapons?

Recent incidents of violence, including attacks on public establishments, seem to have unnerved our police. As a result, the Inspector General of Police has instructed senior law enforcement officials to firmly address such incidence, even with the use of "more powerful weapons"—should firing rubber bullets prove ineffective in bringing the situation under control, according to the Prothom Alo. The report, quoting officials, said that the IGP expressed his dissatisfaction, as the "Hefazat-led violence" could not be brought under control by firing rubber bullets. The virtual meeting held on April 7 was attended by senior officials at the police headquarters. Within 24 hours, the media published pictures of light machine guns being put up at police stations in Sylhet, one of the districts that had witnessed some degree of mob violence in recent weeks.

These developments came after violence in Dhaka, Chittagong and Bhraminbaria left at least 17 people dead, during protests against the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moreover, on April 5, Saltha upazila of Faridpur district witnessed mob attacks on some public establishments, during protests against the government-run anti-Covid-19 drives. The scale of violence and damage caused by activists of Hefazat-e-Islam and other groups, whether provoked or planned, are unacceptable and should be condemned. But, simultaneously, we need to have an in-depth review of police practices, instead of opting for more lethal tactics.