EC asks forces to ensure secure polls

The EC on Sunday held separate meetings with senior security officials, including, for the first time, with the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as part of preparations to ensure a secure and credible election.

The EC on Sunday held separate meetings with senior security officials, including, for the first time, with the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as part of preparations to ensure a secure and credible election.

The commission has adopted a zero-tolerance stance towards the activities that damage the electoral atmosphere, including vandalism, violence, and attempts to intimidate voters, said Sanaullah after the meetings.

The election commissioner said that the forces and relevant agencies, though the state would act humanely, had been given a firm and unambiguous message that no leniency would be shown to those involved in crimes, vandalism, efforts to undermine the electoral environment or acts of violence resulting in loss of life.

He said that joint forces operations would be relaunched at the field level with the objectives of recovering illegal weapons and ammunition, arresting terrorists, and bringing offenders to justice, while a concomitant objective would be to restore confidence among the public, voters, candidates and political parties.

According to the election commissioner, the meeting also discussed recent attacks on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo. According to the commission, such incidents are directly linked to the electoral environment.

Sanaullah said that the attack on media houses took place during a period of national mourning and public anger following the death of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, which opportunist groups exploited to carry out acts of vandalism, at times overwhelming law enforcement personnel.

He said that authorities have identified at least 20 individuals involved in the attacks on newspaper offices and have taken legal action against them. The commission said that those responsible would face appropriate consequences.

Sanaullah said that the EC also directed agencies to strengthen surveillance by setting up area-based checkpoints and conducting regular checkpoint operations, with particular emphasis on remote areas known for the movement of weapons.

Intelligence agencies were questioned over possible lapses in assessing the risks that led to the killing of Hadi and were instructed to take all lawful measures to prevent similar incidents in future.

The commission first met with Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, and Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan, and then held a broader meeting with the heads of other law enforcement and security agencies, including the home secretary, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, and the inspector general of police.

Senior representatives from the Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, Ansar and VDP, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, National Security Intelligence, the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, and the Rapid Action Battalion were also present at the meeting.

According to Sanaullah, the three service heads assured the commission of their full preparedness and coordinated readiness to ensure a smooth and credible election.

The chiefs confirmed that all necessary arrangements had been completed and briefed the commission on deployment plans, with the Army set to deploy a total of 1,00,000 troops, one-third already in the field while the rest would be gradually deployed ahead of the final five days before polling.