DHAKA: Passenger harassment at country’s three international airports including Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport reached to the peak due to irregularities of immigration police.

Allegations found that immigration polices were involved in harassing the legal passengers and bypassing people through airports to go abroad illegally.

Banglanews investigation found that outgoing passengers are being harassed by immigration police, set up with the members of Special Branch (SB) police. Allegations were found against those polices that they are forcibly taking money from passengers showing different excuses which is illegal.

A former immigration police official admitted the police’s corruption at the airport. The official, on condition of anonymity, told banglanews, “Officials from all departments of police tried for duty at the airports. Lots of corruption and money earning ways are open there.”

“But police high officials are known to it, they posted favored officials there to get share of money,” the official added.

On 1998, the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) was given the responsibility of immigration check post at all airports, land ports and sea ports. Some nine officials on three shifts were appointed at Zia International Airport, now Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The officials were posted on the duty of on-arrival visa process and immigration counters.

Discomfort arouse among police after the DIP began getting the responsibility and it was also clear that police would no longer be getting on the immigration. Lobbing and pressure began coming from the high level of police. At last government gave the immigration responsibility to police permanently.

In 2010, six out of those 9 officials were discharged from their duties at the air port. The rest remains there, but they have no tasks there.

The last Awami League government tried to bring the immigration department out of the police’s clutches but did not succeed due to heavy pressure from police department.

Since then police exert control on overall activities of airports. They are allegedly involved in passenger harassing and different irregularities.

An official at Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh told banglanews, “Earlier the DIP ran the immigration check posts at nine ports, including three international airports, Chittagong Sea Port and Benapole Land Port.”

“If government gives the responsibility to the DIP again we are ready to take it,” the official added.

On posting police on immigration duty, aviation and tourism expert Kazi Wahidul Islam told banglanews, “Immigration is a specialized works, it is not possible to run the department with the experience of six-moth even year.”

“Rather a specialized team is necessary, it may be consists of police or a separate department whoever will be they will have to be permanent,” added Wazidul, who did not support the existing system of running the immigration by SB.

When contacted to SB’s special superintendent of police (SP) Nafiul Islam on May 25,   banglanews was told to make contact with him the next day.

Following the day, banglanews reached to him, but Nafiul denied making any comment.

BDST: 1217 HRS, SEP 03, 2014