Press Release
Dhaka, 15 December 2025: Despite long-standing public demands, continuous consultations with stakeholders, and the historic opportunity for state reform created by the bloodshed of the July movement, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has described the Police Commission Ordinance, 2025, enacted by the interim government, as nothing more than a token gesture that tramples the possibility of establishing an independent police commission—one of the key catalysts for building a transparent and accountable policing system. In a press release issued to the media today, TIB stated that the unprecedented opportunity for comprehensive police reform, earned through the indescribable sacrifices of the July movement, has been blatantly betrayed by this ordinance. Even if we form a police commission under the proposed framework, it will neither be independent nor capable of fulfilling its intended purpose. Instead, it will effectively become yet another project that wastes public funds, reinforcing the continued dominance of government-loyal retired and deputed administrative and police bureaucrats.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, the Executive Director of TIB, said that the ordinance published on 9 December 2025 is seriously flawed in its ideas, plans, and structure, and it has completely failed to achieve the main goal of creating an independent police commission. He stated, “Instead of ensuring professionalism and accountability within the police force, this ordinance will further deepen the control of administrative and police bureaucracies—particularly the Ministry of Home Affairs—over the police. As a result, the long-standing crisis of public trust caused by widespread abuse of power, human rights violations, corruption, and multi-dimensional crimes will only intensify. Under the pretext of addressing internal and public complaints against the police, the proposed police commission will not be independent; rather, it will serve as yet another mechanism to legitimize police misconduct and lack of accountability under government influence and control.”
The Executive Director of TIB said, “The police commission that the people and civil society have long been demanding must, according to national experience and international best practices, meet one essential precondition—effective independence from government influence. Yet, the ordinance does not even contain the word ‘independence.’
“The provisions regarding the composition of the commission clearly pose risks of conflict of interest. The mandatory inclusion of retired bureaucrats and police officials in the commission’s leadership—particularly the appointment of a retired police officer as Member Secretary—seriously undermines the commission’s neutrality and credibility. All other commissions in Bangladesh, regardless of their effectiveness, lack such provisions guaranteeing the appointment of a specific class or rank of officials, and this practice is nonexistent worldwide. Similarly, there is no precedent for granting a member secretary equal status with commission members. As proposed, all activities and decision-making processes of the commission would inevitably remain under bureaucratic and police influence. The appointment of a secretary to a commission, on the other hand, is permitted by both national and international customs. This person is primarily responsible for carrying out administrative tasks under the commission and is permitted to attend meetings ex officio, without the ability to vote, in order to provide secretarial support in compliance with established standards.
“On the other hand, the ordinance creates scope for turning the proposed commission into a haven for retired and deputed officials, where the culture of impunity within the police will continue to prevail. Moreover, the selection committee proposed in the ordinance has little scope to function as anything more than a mere formality or rubber stamp. Given the presence of powerful figures such as the Cabinet Secretary and the Home Secretary in this committee within Bangladesh’s governance structure, it is unrealistic to expect the decision-making process to remain free from government and bureaucratic influence or conflicts of interest.”
Dr. Zaman further stated, “Article 13 of the ordinance refers to maintaining a ‘balance between public security and human rights.’ However, since the term ‘public security’ has not been defined, in practice this provision leaves room to legitimize human rights violations in the name of public security. This feature also creates a risk of undermining the independence of the National Human Rights Commission.
On the other hand, the proposed Citizen Complaint Management Committee and the Police Complaint Resolution Committee are both to be formed with three members of the Police Commission itself. This, for the reasons mentioned earlier, will create conflicts of interest arising from bureaucratic and police influence and make independent and impartial resolution of complaints impossible. At the same time, the provision under Article 19(2) to resolve complaints that fall within the jurisdiction of the National Human Rights Commission through ‘coordination’ constitutes a serious infringement, as in such cases the authority of the Human Rights Commission should take precedence. Furthermore, the lack of financial independence of the Commission under Articles 23, 24, and 25, and its administrative dependence on officials deputed from the bureaucracy and the police, will effectively turn the proposed Commission into a subordinate government office. If the proposed structure of the ordinance remains unchanged, the prospects for genuine police reform in Bangladesh will effectively be reduced to zero.”
TIB has urged the government to promptly revise and amend the Police Commission Ordinance, 2025, in response to the aforementioned concerns, by removing its apparent compliance to anti-reform factions within the state. TIB underscored that only through these revisions can significant progress be achieved in establishing a genuinely independent police commission—free from government and bureaucratic interference—and in meeting public expectations for authentic police reform.
Media Contact:
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: +8801713107868
Email: tauhidul@ti-bangladesh.org
