The government will start deploying around 20,000 police and Ansar members in four city corporations and nine municipalities from tomorrow for the August 4 local-government elections there.
A three-tier security blanket will be put up at 715 polling stations: 579 for the city corporations and the rest for the municipalities.
Besides, special strike force and mobile teams drawn from the police, Rab and Ansar, will also work to ensure security during the polls.
Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations and Naohata, Dupchanchia, Chuadanga, Sreepur, Manikganj, Fulbaria, Shariatpur, Gopalganj and Sitakunda municipalities will be the first to hold elections under the stewardship of the current interim government.
The authorities have already identified 283 polling stations, 218 in the city corporation areas alone, as vulnerable in terms of security.
At least 30 law enforcers will be deployed at each of the vulnerable stations while a minimum of 28 personnel will guard the other 432 centres each.
The stationary force will take up position at the polling stations one day before the polls, on August 3. Presiding officers, with polling materials, will also report on the same day.
The strike force and the mobile teams will leave their stations at 6:00am tomorrow and will be on election duty through August 7.
Police commissioners, deputy inspector generals of police or superintendents of police will determine their jurisdiction. An executive magistrate will be with each of the mobile team or strike force.
Mobile teams will ensure that voters do not face any trouble going to the polling stations. Patrolling on the highways and riverways will also be strengthened.
To stop any downdrought in law and order, the government yesterday notified that carrying any licensed weapons in the four city corporations and the nine municipalities will be banned from August 2 midnight through August 5.
Any violations of the government order will be subject to legal actions under the Arms Act 1878, the home ministry notification warned.
The ban, however, will not apply to law-enforcement-agency members and security personnel at government and semi-government offices, institutions and installations.
“Operation is on to recover illegal firearms,” Home Secretary Abdul Karim yesterday told reporters after a meeting on election-time security, chaired by Home Adviser MA Matin at the home ministry yesterday afternoon.
The ministry has also slapped a ban on motorcycles, three-wheelers, microbuses, pick-ups and any other mechanised vehicles in the election areas from August 3 midnight to 6:00am of August 5, in order to ensure security. Inter-district highways, however, have been excluded from the ban.
The home secretary said operations to round up possible troublemakers are also on.
On steps to keep cadres of extremist outfits from creating any trouble, Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad said law enforcers are watching out for their activities.
“We’ve already given instructions on how many law enforcers would be deployed at each polling station,” the home adviser told reporters at the shipping ministry earlier in the day.
He could not confirm whether mobile-phone communication would be off on the polling day in the areas.
“Let’s see what happens later,” he said.
Our Khulna correspondent reports that the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) will deploy 14 policemen and 16 Ansar members at each vulnerable centre on the polling day.
KMP sources said 195 out of the 239 centres in the city’s 31 wards have been identified as vulnerable and 96 centres as most vulnerable.
Categories: Daily Bangladesh News
