We are perturbed and confused by the demand made by the police for a repeal of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act that makes torture in custody by law enforcers or government officials a punishable criminal offence. Such a request is unbecoming of an orderly force as no form of torture, in and outside the custody, can ever be tolerated in a civilised society. It is a word that is not found in our legal lexicon, and a society that believes in the rule of law and civility must not entertain such barbaric and brutal methods in maintaining law and order or investigating crime.  

Such a demand is anathema to our ethos, especially to the supreme law of the land that prohibits torture. The Prime Minister has rightly conveyed the message to the concerned police officers that they should perish such thoughts.     

As it is, the number of custodial deaths and cases of alleged torture in the hands of law enforcers has reportedly taken a grievous turn as manifested in the seven murder case in Naraynganj, despite the 2013 Act. In this light, will we be remiss in asking why the police want immunity against torture and custodial death, especially when confessions extracted through such methods do not stand up to cross-examinations?    

We appreciate that the police has to face many challenges in performing its tasks in our environment. But working under existing laws and producing results keeping within the norms of orderly behaviour is what separates a well-trained and disciplined force from a disorderly one.