DHAKA, Dec 27, 2018 (BSS) – The government has put in place comprehensive security measures with the deployment of over seven lakh law enforcers to maintain law and order across the country and ensure a peaceful environment during the 11th parliamentary election slated for December 30 (Sunday).
As many as 1.45 lakh policemen, 10,000 Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel, 4.70 lakh Ansar men and 40,000 village policemen are being deployed for the election duty. Members from the armed forces, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Coast Guard have already been deployed as striking forces. They can enter the polling centres when deemed necessary by the presiding officers.
Besides, 1,693 magistrates will conduct vigilance to punish violators of the electoral code.
The government has taken the all-out security measures in line with the directives of the Election Commission (EC) to hold the election in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
As part of the security plan, 14 personnel, including one armed member of the police and one armed member of Ansar will guard each general voting centre outside the metropolitan areas while the number of armed personnel will increase to four at the risky voting centres with the same setup. Sixteen lawmen, five of them armed, will guard each regular voting centre while 18 personnel, seven of them armed, will guard at the risky polling centres in the metropolitan areas.
The Election Commission has finalized a total of 40,199 polling centres across the country for the 11th national election. Police have classified 25,827 polling centres as “important,” which, according to police sources, is way of avoiding the term “vulnerable,” since it has a negative connotation.
Around 104.2 million voters will exercise their rights to vote across the country in the 11th national election to be held on December 30.
Referring to the huge preparation taken by RAB, Director General (DG) Benazir Ahmed said to newsmen at Kawran Bazar’s media centre, “Special training has been given to RAB personnel to hold the polls successfully. Necessary equipments have already been distributed among the RAB men to this end.”
“As many as 10,000 RAB personnel will be deployed across the country to maintain the overall law and order for peaceful holding of the national election,” he added.
The RAB chief said they have introduced a Cyber News Certification Centre to prevent untrue news regarding the national election on social networking sites.
Alerting the voters against rumour, he also said, “Don’t pay heed to any rumour and inform us of anything abnormal.”
He also requested the voters to go to the polling centres to cast their votes as necessary security arrangements are already in place to ensure their safety.
“We will ensure all possible security to the voters so that they can cast their votes after going to polling centres safely and without any fear,” said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner, Md Asaduzzaman Mia.
“Necessary measures have been taken so that none can hamper security of the people in the polling centres and any other place (under the DMP areas),” he added.