The government has initiated a move to introduce online case filing, aiming at modernising policing and reducing public harassment in filing cases with police stations.
The feasibility of launching the filing of the first information report online is now being examined, according to a document shared by the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing on Monday.
The development was discussed in the first meeting of the Governance Innovation Unit to review the implementation of the recommendations of the Police Reform Commission at the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office on the day, with principal secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah in the chair.
The Bangladesh Police has already sent a proposal for amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, for the introduction of online FIR to the law ministry, in keeping with the recommendations from the Police Reform Commission, which urged the authorities to ensure timely and hassle-free case registration, said the meeting minutes.
The Governance Innovation Unit is led by a director general with the rank of additional secretary and is looked after by the secretary to the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office.
A decision was also taken to introduce the submission of general diary online at all police stations across the country and to hold a massive campaign regarding the online general diary.
Noting that the work of creating a format of the online FIR is underway, the meeting also instructed the police to make it quickly.
Inspector general of police Baharul Alam at the meeting said that the online general diary had already been introduced at 75 per cent of the police stations, while an initiative was taken to introduce the online general diary at the rest of the police stations.
As per statistics up to July 22, 2025, a total of 42,934 general diaries have been submitted this year. Of them, 5,806 general diaries were filed online.
Currently, 25 per cent of all general diaries are being filed online, and this number is expected to gradually increase, said Baharul Alam.
Regarding the recommendation of introducing a specialised unit to investigate criminal cases, it was discussed that the Criminal Investigation Department and the Police Bureau of Investigation were currently conducting criminal investigations as specialised units.
Each of the police stations has an inspector (investigation) to supervise investigations of the cases filed with his or her respective police station, the home secretary and the police chief noted.
Forming separate specialised teams within the existing structure will be costly and time-consuming, requiring new recruitment and separate career planning, police officials told the meeting.
However, enhancing skills through specialised training within the current structure is possible, they said.
The meeting decided to take steps to establish at least a pilot-based specialised investigation unit, while skill enhancement can be ensured by providing specialised training to those working within the existing structure.
It also decided that police verification would no longer include checking a job applicant鈥檚 educational qualifications or political ideology.
However, involvement in any anti-state activities against Bangladesh鈥檚 independence, sovereignty, or integrity must be reflected in the report, the meeting decided.
All police verification for jobs must be completed within two months, with a possible extension of 15 days.
The meeting decided to establish transparent interrogation rooms in all newly constructed or under-construction police stations across the country.
It directed the authorities to prepare a report on the existing police stations in consultation with the Public Works Department regarding the feasibility of setting up such rooms.
Necessary measures must be taken to ensure cleanliness in the custody of the police and the court, and to improve the standard of humane treatment in vehicles used to transport detainees to and from the courts.
The meeting also decided that if it was proved that a police officer had deliberately labeled someone as an unidentified accused, legal and disciplinary actions would be taken against him or her.
Strict instruction was also given that a person must not be presented as a criminal before the media until he or she is conclusively proved guilty based on evidence through the judicial process.
The meeting also discussed that measures should be taken by senior police officials to strengthen monitoring systems in cases of filing traffic cases, charging wrecker bills.
On January 15, the Police Reform Commission, led by former home secretary Safar Raz Hossain, submitted the commission鈥檚 report to chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
