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Published : 04 Jun 2026, 11:13 PM
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed has been seen receiving special traffic treatment shortly after publicly declaring that traffic laws apply equally to everyone, including the prime minister.
After a press conference on law and order and traffic management in Dhaka on Thursday, policemen were seen removing ropes and barriers at a Minto Road intersection to allow the commissioner’s convoy to pass directly towards DMP headquarters.
Under the current traffic arrangement, vehicles travelling from the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road towards the Police Headquarters must take a longer route and make a U-turn beneath the Moghbazar Flyover.
As part of traffic management measures at several intersections across Dhaka, police use ropes, plastic traffic cones and barricades to block certain crossings and enforce diversions.
Speaking at the press conference earlier in the afternoon, the commissioner said: “The law is the same for all vehicles, whether government or private. Even our Prime Minister Tarique Rahman travels in compliance with traffic laws.”
Asked about allegations that government vehicles are often seen violating traffic rules, he said: “We have clearly instructed our police members that anyone violating traffic laws will face action under the law.
“Likewise, our honourable prime minister follows traffic regulations. Our position is clear. Whoever violates traffic laws, whether from the government or private sector, will face action according to the law.”
However, when leaving the venue for his office, the commissioner did not use the route designated for ordinary motorists.
Police officers removed the ropes and triangular barriers that normally prevent vehicles from crossing the intersection and opened the route for the commissioner’s convoy.
Motorcyclist Mohammad Jasim Uddin, a regular user of the road, witnessed the scene.
“The crossing the police convoy used is always closed to the public,” he said.
“Every day, if we want to go from Minto Road to Bailey Road or Kakrail, we have to either go around via the Moghbazar Flyover or take Hare Road.”
Witnesses said police temporarily halted traffic on both sides of the road before the convoy passed. Once it had gone through, officers restored the barriers and closed the crossing again.
The DMP chief did not answer phone calls seeking comment on the matter.
‘Commissioner Did Not Breach the Law’
As media reports on the matter had gone viral, the DMP protested the news.
In the statement sent by Deputy Commissioner of Media and Public Relations NM Nasiruddin, the DMP said the information presented in the news is “misleading, incomplete and does not accurately reflect the actual situation”.
According to the rejoinder, the information that the signal on Minto Road is one-way is incorrect, as vehicles travel in both directions on the road.
“The temporary U-turn system meant to allow northbound vehicles on Minto Road to turn southbound by installing a temporary plastic barrier was introduced on an experimental basis a few months ago,” it says.
According to the DMP, the U-turn is not a permanent establishment. It is opened or closed at different times as needed, in proportion to the number of vehicles plying on the road and for the convenience of traffic management.
“This work is done many times every day as needed. This is not a new issue. People who regularly travel on this road are fully aware of it.”
The statement says there was no violation of the rules as the commissioner “followed the traffic advisory”.
