The Election Commission (EC) is set to hold another round of meetings with law enforcement agencies, focusing on curbing illegal weapons, prohibiting the display of licensed firearms, and strengthening security at field-level election offices to ensure a peaceful environment at every stage of the upcoming polls.
The meeting will be held on 27 November to review preparations for maintaining a peaceful electoral environment, said Mohammad Monir Hossain, deputy secretary of the EC’s Election Management-2 branch.
According to sources, the meeting will also give priority to security measures and strategies recommended by intelligence agencies.
The election schedule and polling date will be finalised based on the outcomes of the meeting. Detailed discussions will also be held regarding the budget required for law enforcement operations during the election.
EC sources said the meeting will be attended by the chiefs of the three armed forces, the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, and the Inspector General of Police.
In addition, the heads of the Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion, Ansar–VDP, DGFI, NSI, NTMC and other intelligence and security agencies will join the meeting. Additional IGPs of the Special Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department will also be present.
The EC is convening the meeting at a time when the country has seen a deterioration in law and order, including multiple incidents of violence involving illegal weapons.
Officials said the high-level meeting will address 23 key issues, including ensuring coordination among law enforcement agencies and installing and monitoring CCTV cameras at important polling centres.
Plans to deploy members of the armed forces to help maintain law and order during the election period will also be discussed, along with measures to strengthen the personal and residential security of returning officers and assistant returning officers.
The meeting will further review steps to preserve communal harmony, ensure the safety of minority communities and all citizens, and secure the transport, storage and distribution of election materials.
Earlier, the first round of meetings held on 20 October discussed 13 issues. Following that meeting, EC officials said the commission is considering deploying around eight lakh law enforcement personnel – including 90,000 to 1 lakh members of the Army – for eight days around the upcoming national election.
EC sources said the 27 November meeting will also focus on several operational matters aimed at ensuring a peaceful election. These include deploying additional law enforcement personnel at returning officers’ offices and removing posters, banners, arches and other campaign materials from across the country.
Other agenda items include assigning police support to executive magistrates and Electoral Inquiry Committees during their duties, determining measures to ensure strict compliance with electoral laws and regulations, and providing security assistance to foreign journalists and pre-election observers.
The meeting will also address the control of illegal intruders, security arrangements for postal voting, and enforcement of the ban on the use of drones during the election period.
