Police to wear new uniforms from Nov 15 in metropolitan areas

The change in uniforms for Bangladesh Police, a demand arising after July Uprising, is scheduled to take effect next month. Starting November 15, police personnel in metropolitan units will begin wearing the new uniforms.

AHM Sahadat Hossain, assistant inspector general of police at the Police Headquarters, told The Daily Star, "The new uniforms will be available by November 15. Primarily, all metropolitan police, including DMP, will begin wearing the new uniforms."

"Gradually, all other units will receive their new uniforms, except for district and range police," he said, adding that for district and range police, it may take three to four more months.

On January 20 this year, the decision was made to change the colours of police, Ansar, Village Defence Party, and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) uniforms. In line with the decision, the updated police uniforms will feature an iron-coloured design.

At that time, the home ministry also selected olive green for Rab and golden wheatish for Ansar-VDP.

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Cops get whole set of new uniforms

While police are preparing to adopt the new uniforms, Ansar is currently in discussions with the ministry to request a change in their uniform colour, as the golden wheatish shade closely resembles that of security guards.

Meanwhile, Rab is awaiting the decision of its reform committee, which is reviewing the necessity of the force's operational activities. Until then, Rab will continue to wear its black attire.

Wing Commander MZM Intekhab Chowdhury, director of the legal and media wing of Rab Headquarters, told The Daily Star, "A committee has been working on rebuilding of the force. After the committee's report, decisions will be made regarding Rab's uniform and the colour it will adopt."

Meanwhile, Ansar has reviewed the decision to allocate the golden wheatish uniform for the force and found that many have criticised the colour as resembling "jackfruit" and uniform worn by security guards. Following this, the force submitted further requests to the home ministry and held a meeting to select a new colour for their uniform, a senior Ansar official told The Daily Star.

The officer, requesting anonymity, said, "The decision has not been finalised yet. The ministry is reviewing our proposals and may decide after further discussions."

When asked, Md Ashikuzzaman, deputy director of Ansar-VDP, told The Daily Star, "The process is underway to decide on the uniform change."

He further declined to disclose any additional detail.

Law enforcers, including police, Rab, and Ansar personnel, were seen using excessive force and firing gunshots at unarmed students during the mass uprising last year, which led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5.

Over the years, police have been criticised for being used as a tool to silence voices, restrict free speech, and maintain control over the political landscape. These not only undermined the integrity of the police but also eroded public trust in law enforcement agencies.

As for Rab, the Police Reform Commission formed by the interim government has proposed assessing the need for Rab by reviewing its past activities and allegations of human rights violations, such as extra-judicial killings.

The commission also recommended introducing measures to combat custodial torture, legal harassment by the police, extortion, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances.

After the interim government took charge, a demand emerged from within the forces to change the uniform colours as part of a broader effort to shift mindsets and provide a moral boost.

According to officials, the police provide three sets of uniforms annually to their approximately 214,000 members. Around 10,000 Rab personnel, who are deputed from various forces including the armed forces, also receive three sets of uniforms each year.

Additionally, about 51,000 Ansar and 17,000 Battalion Ansar personnel are provided two sets of uniforms annually.