The interim government council of advisers on Thursday decided to establish the Independent Investigation Service and the Internal Complaints Commission for the police force.
At the weekly council meeting with chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair, the law ministry was tasked with preparing frameworks for the two bodies in a speedy manner.
After the meeting, the chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital that the Independent Investigation Service would be so designed to ensure that police investigations would be conducted without any聽 political or other influence.
The service will remain under the home ministry while the law ministry will draft the necessary legal framework, he said.
Shafiq said that the Internal Complaints Commission would address grievances within the police force.
Both initiatives will be implemented on an urgent basis under the supervision of the law ministry, with law adviser Asif Nazrul and industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, and special assistant to the CA for home affairs Khoda Baksh Chowdhury leading the formation of the bodies.
According to the press secretary, the council of advisers also discussed local government reforms focusing on ways to strengthen decentralisation.
The chief adviser was said to have emphasised the need to expand the powers and functions of the local government bodies and instructed that reforms be implemented as speedily as possible.
The discussion also covered measures to enable union parishads, upazila parishads, zila parishads, municipalities, and city corporations to mobilise and manage their own funds, with the possibility of enacting new laws to support this process.
Shafiq said that the meeting approved the exemption of sea-going vessels above 5,000 deadweight tonnes from the 7.5 per cent value added tax on imports.
The move was aimed at encouraging the procurement of vessels, supporting the shipbuilding industry, boosting foreign exchange earnings, and creating jobs.
He said that the council was informed about the foreign affairs adviser鈥檚 recent participation in a high-level UN conference in New York on the Palestinian issue.
The adviser is also scheduled to represent Bangladesh at an emergency OIC summit in Doha on September 15, called in response to recent Israeli attacks.
The council appreciated the home adviser for ensuring a peaceful conduct of the DUCSU elections.
The meeting, Shafiq said, also received updates on health and women鈥檚 reforms, though some recommendations were considered political in nature and would need to wait until after elections and the formation of a political government.
On the regional front, the council was briefed on the situation in Nepal, where Bangladeshis were reported to be safe and receiving necessary support from the Bangladesh embassy.
Meanwhile, a special Bangladesh Air Force aircraft has been sent to Nepal to bring back the national football team, with the Kathmandu airport partially reopening, the press secretary said.
The meeting also discussed ways to address the teacher shortages in medical colleges, with the possibility of re-engaging retired faculties as consultants or instructors.
