Police initiates probe into passenger harassment incidents at HSIA

The Special Branch of Police has launched an investigation into the incidents of passenger harassment at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) here.

It has also withdrawn the officer accused of harassing New Age editor Nurul Kabir recently at the airport, said a statement issued by the chief adviser's press wing.

The SB has regretted the incidents at the Dhaka airport, which prompted eminent editor Nurul Kabir to say that he was harassed by police officers.

The unfortunate incidents happened due to a massive list of people created by the previous government of Sheikh Hasina. Thousands of people were included in the "blocked list," meant to harass them during their overseas tours or stop them from travelling abroad.

"After the Interim Government took over, the Special Branch started removing the politically connected people, dissidents, journalists, and rights activists from the blocked list. Much of this work is being done manually. As a result, some names of dissidents and journalists are still there. We have now expedited our efforts to clean up the list," the statement read.

"Once again, we are sorry for the unfortunate incident. Bangladesh police are friends of the people and want to serve the country in an exemplary manner," it added.