Newly appointed Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Monday said that police are not concerned about political programmes, but if criminal offences are committed in the name of political events, action will be taken accordingly. “Political programmes are not police’s headache. Our work is to maintain law and order. Arranging meetings or processions are parties’ political right,” he said. The DMP Commissioner came up with the remarks while responding to reporters during “Commissioner’s Meet the Press” at DMP media centre on Monday. This was the first programme the commissioner organised after he took over on October 29. If someone vandalizes or sets a car on fire or blocks the road in the name of political programme, these will be considered criminal offences, he added. The DMP chief also said that as long as no criminal offences are committed centring political programmes, police will cooperate, the DMP Commissioner said. Read: High Court asks why DMP authority to ban rallies not illegal Regarding traffic congestion in Dhaka city, the police commissioner said that Dhaka was not developed in a planned way and several mega projects are underway in the capital which are the reasons behind the traffic jams. “We are working on reducing traffic jams,” he said. Besides, work will be done to prevent illegal parking on roads, he added. Responding to another question over controlling drug abuse, the DMP Commissioner said it cannot be stopped by simply cutting the supply, demand needs to go down as well. The new police commissioner also stressed the need for controlling  cyber crimes  on a priority basis.

A resident student of Dhaka University's Surya Sen Hall has been tortured allegedly by Sifat Ullah, said to be a BCL activist, for not attending a political programme. Kazi Porosh Miah, a second-year student of French Language and Culture Department and a resident of Surya Sen Hall, was called by Sifat Ullah to room No 351 around 7.00pm on Monday and was tortured mentally and physically reportedly by Sifat. "Sifat asked me to attend a BCL (Bangladesh Chhatra League) programme two days back but I couldn’t attend it as I had an exam on that day," said Porosh. Read: DU seminar: Revolutionise cinema for evolution of reflective films "On Monday, when I had been to his room, he tortured me mentally and physically,” a traumatized Porosh told UNB. Porosh said he submitted a written complaint to the hall provost and the proctor online. Asked, DU Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani said, "I heard about the incident but have not received any written complaint yet." "A three-member committee, led by Prof Ahmad Ullah, senior house tutor of Surya Sen Hall, has been formed to investigate the complaint as soon as possible,” said Prof Mokbul Hossain Bhuiyan, the Provost of Surya Sen hall. "If the allegations are proved, action will be taken," said Md Abdul Motaleb, the principal administrative officer of the hall. Several attempts were made to contact Sifat over phone for his comment on the allegations but he could not be reached. November 8, Sifat, a student of Women and Gender Studies, reportedly tortured two more students -- Ariful Islam and Tariqul Islam -- to drive them out from the dormitory and threatened to kill them if they do not do so. Read:Nagad becomes DU's partner in centenary celebrations However, the victims withdrew the allegations saying that it was just a “misunderstanding”. That is not the end of Sifat's stories of bullying, anyway! Sifat was suspended for six months for torturing two third-year students of Economics department -- Rokeya Gazi Lina and Asaduzzaman Parnto- on July 7 of 2018.