I ask you, members of our nation’s police force:
Have you forgotten the image of your brother’s naked body hanging from a bridge — the work of the savage descendants of the Pakistani Razakars?
Have you forgotten the horror of your pregnant sister, your fellow officers, burned alive at the station?
Have you forgotten the agony of July and August 2024, when thousands of police families were left helpless — losing husbands, sisters, uncles, beloved nieces, dear wives, cherished relatives?
Have you forgotten what it feels like to hear the cries of the bereaved, to feel the gut-wrenching pain of losing loved ones?
I remember it well.
I remember hearing my police uncle’s desperate voice — crying for help over a Moto phone to my mother — a voice filled with helplessness, fear, and unbearable sorrow.
In 1971, during Bangladesh’s great Liberation War, it was the police of Rajarbagh Police Line who first stood up against the brutal Pakistani military. It was the police who, armed only with their patriotism, fought the first battles for the independence of this land.
And today, I ask: have you forgotten that heroic spirit?
The people of Bangladesh now understand that the chaos of July and August 2024 was not spontaneous. It was born from rumors, a web of political conspiracy spun long before — a calculated plot by vested interests.
A conspiracy that sought to destabilize our independent, golden Bangladesh — the Bangladesh we had rebuilt with blood, sweat, and dreams.
Today, our motherland stands at a dangerous crossroads.
Falsehoods and conspiracies have misled the public, created confusion, and opened the door for anti-liberation forces to strike at the heart of our nation. Under the leadership of the previous government, a beautifully organized, prosperous, independent, digital, and smart Bangladesh was being built — only to be sabotaged by the enemies of our independence.
I say to the police, and to the people of Bangladesh:
Remember who you are. Remember what we fought for.
Our duty to protect the spirit of 1971 has not ended. It is needed now more than ever.