Police move to cancel IGP Benazir’s Germany tour amid social media backlash

Police have written to the home ministry to cancel Inspector General Benazir Ahmed’s planned Germany tour amid an internet storm over the news that he and two other officials are travelling to the European country to buy 100,000 bed sheets and pillowcases.

Assistant Inspector General Md Quamruzzman, a spokesman for the Police Headquarters, said on Friday they sent a letter on Sunday, but have not heard back yet.

“Naturally his [Benazir’s] Germany trip will be cancelled if the GO [government order] is cancelled. And if the government takes a new decision, that will be considered later,” he said.

The social media has been humming with discussions over the planned visit since the home ministry issued a notice on the tour on Feb 7, saying Benazir, Firoz Uddin Khalifa, deputy secretary to public security at the home ministry, and Superintendent of Police Mohammad Masud Alam will visit Germany for nine days by Feb 28.

The notice said the company will pay for the entire trip for factory acceptance test as part of the procurement of the double bed sheets and pillowcases. The government will not foot the bill of the tour.

Quamruzzman on Feb 10 said that bed sheets will be bought from a Bangladeshi contractor, but the dye will come from Germany. So, the visit has been arranged for factory acceptance test.

As the humming in internet continued, the Police Headquarters issued a statement on Wednesday, saying the news spread on social media that the IGP will visit Germany to buy bed sheets was “untrue and misleading”.

It claimed police were not buying bed sheets from Germany, which does not produce or export such products.

The language and information used in the government order created confusion and a quarter used it for a disinformation campaign against police, the statement said.

It also said rules have been properly followed to buy the bed sheets and pillowcases in line with the Public Procurement Act.

“Government purchases cannot be done like shopping by individuals at markets or during foreign tours.”