Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun has said that anyone harassed while buying a sacrificial animal should inform the police, and if necessary call the national emergency service 999; police will act swiftly.

He said this while speaking to journalists on 13 June after visiting the Gabtoli bus terminal and the Gabtoli sacrificial animal market in Dhaka ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Warning that proper legal action would be taken if complaints of excess levies (hasil) at markets were proved, the IGP said: "If there is any issue with drugging gangs, 'ointment gangs' or excess levies, if there is a complaint, tell the police. The police will act. No extortionist will be spared in the transport sector around the cattle markets."

He said vehicles carrying sacrificial animals by road and waterway must display a banner at the front saying which market they are heading to, which would make it easier for police to act. "If anyone faces a problem and informs the police quickly, we can help quickly too," he said.

The IGP said no one could stop a cattle vehicle on the highway without a specific complaint. The highway police and all other police units had been instructed accordingly and were alert. "To ensure a smooth Eid journey and security at the cattle markets we have held inter-ministerial and other meetings. We have met the administration, the police, transport operators, market owners, lessees and local leaders. We are all working together, and we hope everything goes smoothly this Eid," he said.

He advised people to use banks rather than cash for Eid transactions. "If you are making a large transaction or have to carry money, go to a bank and take police help. Many people run into trouble and criminals get a chance. Don't do that; take police help. The police are ready to serve. There may be a 10–20 minute delay, but why take the risk?"

Urging everyone to stay alert to counterfeit notes, the police chief said machines to detect fake notes had been installed in every market. "If anyone learns or suspects anything, help the police and inform them. The police will act," he said.

The IGP asked people not to overload trucks and trawlers with animals, saying overloading raised the risk of accidents in which both animals and people could die, so they should look to their own safety first.

He said unfit vehicles would not be allowed on highways during the Eid journey under any circumstances, nor would locally made nosimon, korimon or bhotbhoti vehicles. Action would be taken against anyone who tried to run them. He also urged drivers not to drive at uncontrolled speeds.

As in past years, he said, police had made comprehensive arrangements for security at cattle markets and on the Eid journey by rail, road and water.

Describing the challenge of Eid-ul-Azha, the IGP said that at Eid-ul-Fitr the pressure runs one way, but at Eid-ul-Azha there is the rush of people heading home on one side and animal-carrying trucks and pickups on the other: people leave Dhaka while cattle come in. Roads have to cope with pressure in both directions, and police had taken adequate measures for traffic management and law and order with all this in mind.

Arrangements had been made in Dhaka and across the country so that vehicles carrying sacrificial animals could travel properly and safely, and highway police were keeping extensive watch on the roads, he said.

Noting that police had seen pressure on the highways since Wednesday night, the IGP said the rush of people heading home would increase from that afternoon and continue until a day or two before Eid.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.