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Published : 21 Apr 2026, 09:35 AM
Bangladesh Police have been repeatedly writing to the government to convey that officers are unhappy with the uniforms decided upon during the interim administration.
Police Headquarters have now proposed bringing back khaki pants, saying members are not comfortable with the current attire.
For shirts, the force prefers light olive for metropolitan police, while opting for deep blue for other units.
The proposal was detailed in a letter sent from to the senior secretary of the home ministry on Apr 15.
As the colour of the British Army's uniform was khaki, the term has long served as a synonym for law-enforcing agency attire across the subcontinent.
If this proposal receives the green light, khaki will return to the police wardrobe after a hiatus of nearly 22 years.
The correspondence noted that the force’s previous kit -- consisting of deep grey or light olive shirts paired with dark blue pants -- was replaced last year.
The Muhammad Yunus-led administration had introduced iron TC shirts, made from a polyester-cotton blend, along with coffee-coloured pants as the new standard uniform.
The letter, however, noted that the change in uniform triggered “negative sentiment” among field-level officers.
The colour shift became a subject of “intense debate both within the law-enforcing agency and in the public eye”.
“In response, senior police officials reviewed several samples and shades, eventually selecting a preliminary palette for shirts and pants in consultation with high-level home ministry authorities,” the letter read.
Under the latest proposal, metropolitan police would wear light olive shirts with khaki pants, while district and other units would use deep blue shirts with khaki pants, excluding specialised units such as the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Special Protection Battalion (SPBn), Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
To implement these changes, the authorities have been urged to amend the Police Dress Rules, 2025.
During the BNP-led four-party government in 2004, khaki uniforms were replaced, introducing light olive shirts with dark blue pants for metropolitan police and deep grey shirts with dark blue pants for others.
That arrangement remained until another change in November last year.
Following the BNP’s election victory in February, calls emerged from within the police force to revise the new uniform.
The earlier change had already cost around Tk 760 million, raising questions over the justification for further spending amid economic strain.
