Bangladesh police hope new uniform will help repair broken image

Bangladesh Police personnel wearing the earlier (turquoise-and-blue) and the newly introduced (iron-grey and chocolate-brown) uniforms as they stand guard outside a police box in Dhaka. - AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh's police have unveiled new uniforms in a symbolic bid to signal reform and rebuild deeply eroded public trust, just weeks ahead of the first elections since a mass uprising.

The police force was cast into turmoil after the 2024 overthrow of the autocratic government of now-convicted fugitive Sheikh Hasina, which left at least 1,400 dead and thousands maimed -- many by police gunfire.