The computer compose shop beside the Pallabi thana is used mainly for police related work. On 3 October, a visit showed that while a man was relating his grievance over his wife who abandoned him and their children, another person was having a General Diary, GD, written by a person working at the shop.
When asked, the man whose GD was being typed, said: “since I do not know the format, they are helping me write it for Tk. Fifty.”
This saves time and the cost is minimal, he added.
A local tea stall owner said: “many police related work is done here.”
Meanwhile, thana’s duty officer, Md. Shahid, told Bangla Tribune: “this shop is not a part of the thana; however, since they have the GD format, the general people can go and take help.”
While on one hand the correct GD is written, the computer shop makes an income – therefore the shop is beneficial, he added.
Another woman named Sultana Zakia came to the police station to seek protection from domestic abuse.
She said that her husband, a CNG driver, attacked her with a kitchen knife. The police asked for a medical certificate, which she is going to obtain.
Duty officer, Shahid, says: “we get 10-15 women repression and extra marital affair related complaints every day.”
In recent times, extra-marital affairs have risen in number, the police cannot stop it unless people are aware, he cautioned.
Since this is a family matter, it has to be resolved within the family.
The Pallabi thana does not have any parking so impounded vehicles are parked by a nearby community centre.
On the day of the visit, the OC could not be found till 8:30 pm though the others said that he was in the area.
The OC, Nazrul Islam, came around nine, and said: “there is a grievance about the quality of the food served in the lock up cells.”
Though the government gives Tk. 75 per prisoner for food, the quality is low, he added.
Being reprimanded, the food supplier tried to defend his food when the OC asked for that day’s menu to be brought. Looking at the paltry amount of curry, he said: “you must improve the quality and the quantity of the curry.”
Talking about drug situation in Pallabi, he said: “drugs cannot be eliminated, we are trying our best to control its spread.”