IGP Did Not Mean Extrajudicial Killing by 'Crossfire', Police Headquarters Clarifies

Police Headquarters has clarified Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir's remarks on 'crossfire'. The clarification said the IGP did not use the word 'crossfire' in the sense of extrajudicial killing or punishment outside the judicial process; he mentioned the word metaphorically to convey strictness in law enforcement.

The statement was made in a post on the verified Facebook page of Bangladesh Police on Monday night (26 October). Police Headquarters said the statement was issued to clarify the matter and remove confusion in the public mind.

The clarification said Police Headquarters' attention had been drawn to various news reports and headlines about the IGP's 'crossfire' remarks in his speech on Monday morning at the inauguration of Community Bank's Chawkbazar Islamic Banking branch in the capital's Chawkbazar, where IGP Md Ali Hossain Fakir spoke.

Describing Bangladesh Police as the state's main law enforcement agency, the clarification said suppressing crime, arresting criminals, maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of people's lives and property are among the police's fundamental duties.

It also said that while carrying out these duties, police members sometimes have to face direct resistance and attacks from criminals, organised attackers or people who defy the law.

According to the figures given by Police Headquarters, in the first 10 months of 2026, there were 176 attacks on police while they were maintaining law and order, arresting criminals, preventing illegal activities and performing government duties. Four police members lost their lives in those attacks and 370 were seriously injured.

The clarification said the country's existing laws — in particular the right of self-defence, the Penal Code 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 and the Police Act 1861 — speak of the police's right of self-defence.

Police Headquarters said the IGP, in his speech, expressed the police's firm commitment to taking effective action against drug traders, terrorists, extortionists and criminals who create threats to public safety. It was to convey strictness in law enforcement in this context that he mentioned the word 'crossfire' metaphorically.

The clarification also noted that confusion had arisen over the IGP's comments about journalists at the same event. It said he did not intend to make any blanket comment about journalists; it happened inadvertently.

The clarification concluded by saying Bangladesh Police is committed to performing its duties with professionalism and impartiality, upholding human rights, protecting people's lives and property and establishing the rule of law.