Bangladesh News

In a sudden move, the Election Commission (EC) yesterday banned journalists from entering its secretariat that is preparing to conduct the next parliamentary elections.

A large number of journalists, who regularly visit the EC Secretariat to collect information about the preparatory work for the next election, were barred from entering the main building of the secretariat yesterday morning.

Neither the EC nor any senior EC Secretariat official, however, clarified the reasons for the ban.

Security personnel at the EC Secretariat told reporters that the authorities directed them not to allow any journalist to enter the secretariat.

The ban on the media–unprecedented in the history of the EC–was imposed at a time when the next parliamentary election is nearing and all eyes are set on the activities of the EC and its secretariat.

Last week, the EC banned journalists from entering the EC Secretariat for a few hours.

Last year, the chief election commissioner (CEC) also imposed a restriction on the then two election commissioners’ talking to the media as the two had been strongly opposing CEC MA Aziz’s unilateral move for preparing a fresh voter list.

The EC and its secretariat have been criticising the media for the last few months as different newspapers and television channels ran reports on various irregularities in the process of preparing the voter list. Latest, they reported alleged irregularities in the printing process of the updated voter list.

Aziz also accused the media on several occasions of “tarnishing the image of the EC”.

Last Wednesday, EC Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar told some journalists at his office that they wanted to beef up security at the EC Secretariat and sought cooperation from the journalists who visit the place regularly.

Sarkar also proposed that the EC Secretariat will provide the reporters with all information, but they will have to stay in a room in another EC Secretariat building where no important officials sit to work on election-related issues.

The journalists assured him of providing all cooperation but refused to accept his proposal that reporters will not be allowed to move frequently in the secretariat.

The EC secretary again discussed the issue with journalists on Thursday and assured that no restriction will be imposed on them.

But, the ban suddenly came yesterday.

Talking to reporters, officials at the EC Secretariat regretted the ban.

The EC has always supplied information to the media to create public awareness for holding a free and fair election.