Dhaka, October 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bangladesh’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir has sparked widespread criticism after reportedly saying that law enforcement personnel could resort to “crossfire” if the situation demanded it and the government granted permission.
Fakir made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at an event in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.
“Wherever crossfire is necessary, if the government allows it, we will do that,” The Daily Star quoted him as saying.
The statement drew sharp reactions from rights advocates and other quarters, raising concerns about the potential normalisation of extrajudicial killings and the weakening of constitutional safeguards and the rule of law in Bangladesh.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), an anti-corruption watchdog, condemned the remarks and urged the government to seek a formal explanation from the police chief. It called for him to retract the statement, issue an unconditional public apology and face administrative accountability.
The organisation also demanded that Fakir be removed from office until accountability is established.
“Is the police chief seeking to use the discredited practice of crossfire as a shield for the police’s failure to maintain law and order? Does seeking to legitimise extrajudicial killings by making them conditional on government approval amount to an admission of failure to combat crime through lawful means?” The Daily Star quoted TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman as saying.
He stressed that the police were responsible for conducting professional investigations, identifying offenders and bringing accused persons to trial on the basis of admissible evidence.
“Presenting crossfire as an alternative cannot resolve institutional weaknesses; rather, it is an example of professional bankruptcy,” Iftekharuzzaman said.
He also pointed to what he described as a contradiction in the police chief’s remarks. While Fakir had spoken about discharging duties in accordance with the law and the Constitution, he had also suggested that police could resort to crossfire with government approval.
“No government approval can legitimise an extrajudicial killing. The rights to legal protection and to life and personal liberty guaranteed under articles 31 and 32 of the constitution cannot be set aside by executive decisions. Regardless of the seriousness of an allegation, the police have no authority to kill anyone by bypassing due process,” Iftekharuzzaman said.
Bangladesh’s Awami League also criticised the police chief’s statement, saying that such remarks from the country’s highest-ranking police official raised serious concerns about human rights, constitutional protections and the rule of law.
“No government permission can legitimise an extrajudicial killing. The right to life, due process, and equal protection under the law must be upheld for every citizen, regardless of political affiliation or accusation,” the party said.
The controversy has renewed scrutiny of the use of “crossfire”, a term widely associated in Bangladesh with deaths during law enforcement operations that have drawn allegations of extrajudicial killings.
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