Woman harassed at police checkpoint

A video showing on-duty policemen harassing a young woman at a checkpoint in the capital has triggered outrage on social media.

The incident took place around 2:30am yesterday in front of Rampura TV station. 

At least two policemen were seen in the footage stopping a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw carrying the woman, who was travelling alone, and seeking to check her handbag.

As the cops started using offensive language, an altercation broke out between the woman and the policemen.

The law enforcers were heard hinting that she was a prostitute (you just came out of a hotel) as she was travelling late at night.

As the cops constantly shone a torch in her face, she asked them to take it off and check her handbag.

The policemen still kept on intimidating her. As the woman protested their indecent behaviour, one of the cops threatened that they would take her away.

Police finally let her go without checking her handbag.

Many social media users protested police's behaviour.

Seeking anonymity, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the police team leader at the checkpoint, an assistant sub-inspector of Rampura Police Station, was withdrawn from the police station and attached to the deputy commissioner's office after the video went viral on social media.

The incident was apparently captured by one of the policemen in question. The 6:23 minute footage was uploaded on digital media.

Najmul Islam, an additional deputy commissioner of the DMP's Cyber Security Unit, said five policemen were deployed at the checkpoint.

Departmental actions would be taken against those involved in the incident, he told The Daily Star.

Najmul said police were interrogating two cops, who talked to the woman, to know whether any other policeman was involved in the incident.

“We hope and of course you also hope that highest punishment would be ensured through legal process,” he wrote in a Facebook post at 8:45pm yesterday.