No structure to be built on Tetultala playground

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered the relocation of the police station that was to be built on the Tentultola ground in Dhaka's Kalabagan, allowing it to remain a playground for local children.

The prime minister's instructions on the matter were announced by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday.

The fate of the field became a hot topic of discussion when a local mother and activist, Syed Ratna, and her son, Kamal, were detained by police for 13 hours as they were protesting the building of the police station.

The field was occasionally used as a playground but was owned by the police, the home minister said after calling the media to his office at 2:30 pm on Thursday.

However, as there are no other fields nearby where children can play or entertain themselves, the prime minister has ordered that the location will remain under the purview of the police, but no construction will be done on it.

Asked where the new police station would be built, the home minister responded that it will be decided at a later date.

Several notable public figures, including Khushi Kabir, lawyer Syeda Rizawana Hasan, architect Iqbal Habib and Sangeeta Imam, had met with the home minister on Wednesday to request the Tentultola ground be allowed to remain as it was.

“We’ve asked the minister to stop the construction work. He said he would inform the police commissioner about the matter,” Khushi said after the meeting.

But, the home minister said after the meeting: “The so-called Tentultola ground was never a playground. It was an abandoned property under the public works ministry.

“We’ve heard that children used to play in the ground. People used to socialise here. Now many things are being said about the place.”

He said a permanent place instead of a rented building for a police station was important for the force.

“Police are facing trouble working in rented buildings.”

“The public must understand that their sentiment will grow against us if we cannot ensure their security.”

The district authorities designated the place for the police station after consulting local public representatives following the home ministry’s request, the home minister had said.