Police constable murder by colleague untoward incident: DMP

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has claimed that the murder of a police constable by a colleague, while on duty in the diplomatic area of Gulshan in the capital, is an untoward incident.

Speaking at press conference organised at DMP headquarters on Sunday (9 June), Additional Commissioner (Crime) Dr Mahid Uddin said, “This is an unexpected incident. Constable Kawsar Ali had an altercation with constable Monirul Haque before the incident. After heated arguments, constable Kawsar got excited and fired 8-9 rounds at his colleague Monirul.”

The additional commissioner said, “They were on duty there as usual. We have spoken to the accused Kawsar. But what was the argument and why constable Kawsar was agitated is yet to be known. It will be investigated.”

Asked whether this happened due to extra duty, he said, "It can happen to any person. This is what happens when someone loses control of himself. But such brutality cannot be accepted and such incidents should not happen.”

In reply to the query whether police personnel are counseled so that such crimes are not committed, he said, “"Police members are not formally counseled but sometimes senior officers sit with them and discuss various issues."

Asked whether the accused Kawsar has been fired, he said, “Police is a disciplinary force, if any criminal complaint is made against any member of this force, he is systematically dismissed from service. The same has happened in this case.”

Describing the incident in the diplomatic area as unfortunate, he emphasized, "We are treating this case with high importance. Initially, it appeared that there might have been an altercation between the two constables. More details will be revealed after thorough interrogation. It seems the incident might have been a result of temporary tension."

"We suspect this could have been an immediate reaction. However, further investigation is required to confirm this," he added.

Mentionable, a police constable shot his colleague while on duty in front of the Palestinian Embassy in the diplomatic area of Gulshan in the capital on Saturday night.

A constable named Monirul Haque was killed on the spot. After this incident, the accused Kawsar Ali was arrested by Gulshan Thana police.

The shooting caused widespread panic, leading to road closures in the surrounding area. Special police forces, including SWAT and the Detective Branch, took about half an hour to disarm and apprehend Kawsar.

Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, along with senior police officials, promptly arrived at the scene to manage the situation.