Law enforcement agencies have put in place a tight security arrangement across the country for the national election and referendum today, deploying nearly 10 lakh personnel to ensure a free, fair, and uninterrupted vote.
According to officials, the forces, which were deployed on February 8, will remain on full alert until Saturday, as part of a comprehensive plan to maintain law and order, described by many officials as “unprecedented”.
The measures include polling centre-based deployment, enhanced patrols, and technology-backed surveillance to monitor sensitive areas and vulnerable polling centres.
Additional forces will be kept ready to respond swiftly to any untoward incident so that the voters can cast their ballots without fear, the officials said.
In the capital, traffic remained light since yesterday morning as many residents left for their village homes to cast their votes. Those who stayed back often faced checks at different points. A handful of buses were running, most of them nearly empty. Army vehicles were seen on patrol, while police vehicles were stationed at several intersections.
On Manik Miah Avenue, members of the army and police stopped vehicles, questioned passengers, and checked identification documents. Similar checkpoints and patrol teams were seen in Kawran Bazar, Mirpur, Uttara, Rampura, Banani, and Badda.
“Checkpoints have been set up and patrol teams deployed at key points to ensure security,” said Harun Or Rashid, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Division.
He said police assigned for polling centre-based duties were being deployed, while personnel from the army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were also on the ground to help ensure a free and fair election.
On election day, judicial magistrates, if they take cognisance of any electoral offence during duty, will dispose of cases through summary trials and send the relevant report, in a prescribed format, to the deputy secretary (Law-1 Wing) of the EC Secretariat.
To monitor the overall situation, the Election Commission has formed a central coordination cell.
The commission also said it is using a special security app to track the situation on the ground in real time. The home ministry has established a separate coordination cell to receive law-and-order-related complaints.
For the first time, police are using bodycams at polling centres, which will also have CCTV coverage.
Live camera feeds will be monitored directly from the offices of district superintendents of police as well as from Police Headquarters. If violence breaks out anywhere, senior officials will view the live feed from the centre and issue necessary instructions.
Police Headquarters sources said a technology-driven “Operations Command and Control Room” has been set up at each district SP office. From there, risk-based identification of polling centres and live location tracking of mobile and strike teams will be carried out.
They also said mobile teams and strike parties, formed by combining members of all law enforcement agencies and the armed forces, will remain on round-the-clock patrol, with senior officials monitoring them in real time.
To ensure uninterrupted communication with all officers and forces engaged in election duty, walkie-talkie sub-stations have been installed, the sources said. Alongside live location monitoring of mobile and striking teams, directives can be issued to dispatch them swiftly to specific locations as required.
In addition, arrangements have been made to monitor social media and electronic media, and use Google Maps to determine quick routes, sources said.
Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam expressed confidence that police would uphold professionalism and neutrality during the polls.
“Police are at a crucial turning point. Our members must demonstrate professionalism, impartiality, and responsibility to regain public trust,” he said at a media briefing on Tuesday, highlighting the growing importance of cyber intelligence and social media monitoring.
Responding to a question on whether any specific threat had prompted what appears to be the largest security arrangement in recent memory, IGP Baharul said, “It is not about a threat. The matter is that we want to hold a historic election -- the safest in our history. That is the intent of the government. That is why we have taken greater preparations.”
Home Adviser Lt Gen (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that all law enforcement agencies have been placed on high alert to prevent violence and sabotage.
During a visit to the Central Control Room at Police Headquarters, Jahangir warned that security forces have been empowered to enter any location, including polling centres, if necessary, to prevent violence. “Every citizen will be protected.”
BGB has launched special patrols in strategic and sensitive areas. BGB Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui has directed the force’s personnel to firmly resist any attempt to create violence, sabotage, or chaos.
Vigilance has been particularly heightened along the Myanmar border to mitigate security risks linked to the Rohingya situation and to prevent illegal infiltration. The force is also using helicopters, drones, K-9 units, and quick response teams to monitor the situation.
In Dhaka alone, 26,515 police personnel are on duty.
DMP’s Deputy Commissioner Talebur Rahman said specialised units, including SWAT, K-9 Unit, the Bomb Disposal Unit, and the Crime Scene Unit, are on standby. “There is no specific threat, but we are on the highest alert,” he told reporters yesterday at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road.
Rab DG AKM Shahidur Rahman, during a visit to several polling centres in Lalmatia, Manik Mia Avenue, and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, said the force has completed its preparations so that people can exercise their voting rights without fear.
“The plainclothes Rab intelligence members are collecting information in every constituency, while cyber monitoring continues to prevent rumours and misinformation.”
Ansar has deployed the highest number of personnel for the election. Its director general, Maj Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, said on Monday, “This election is not like the past, where you would just stand by while others stamped ballots. If anyone tries to buy you, do not give in.”
Army Headquarters’ Director of the Military Operations Directorate (MOD) Brig Gen Dewan Mohammad Monzur Hossain, while addressing the media on February 5, said, “In previous elections, our maximum deployment was 40,000 to 42,000. This time it is 1 lakh.
“In the past, we remained concentrated at distant locations as a strike force. This time, keeping in mind the issue of ensuring that ordinary citizens can go to polling centres freely and without fear, the honourable Chief of Army Staff has retained only the minimum required number of troops elsewhere and deployed the rest in support of holding a free and fair election.”
