As campaigns for the 12 February parliamentary election intensify, political tensions are heating up, fuelled by tit-for-tat rhetoric from top leaders and candidates of rival parties, as well as a spate of election-related clashes in several areas.
Election Commission has divided the country into red, yellow and green zones to manage the law-and-order situation, but concerns along the campaign trail have yet to subside.
Despite repeated directives to recover weapons looted from police stations and seize illegal firearms, authorities have reported little progress. In many constituencies, known criminals have been seen taking part in election campaigns.
Concerns have been heightened by clashes reported in 16 constituencies, prompting all parties contesting the election to voice alarm over the overall security situation. Most of the clashes have involved the BNP, including confrontations with rebel candidates, internal disputes within the party, and clashes between BNP activists and leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami.
One BNP activist has been killed so far, while more than a hundred others — including activists from other parties — have been injured in the clashes.
Fears have also been reinforced by a recent rise in the use of illegal weapons during violent incidents nationwide. In Chattogram’s Jangal Salimpur area, an attack during an operation led to the death of an officer of the Rapid Action Battalion. Separately, members of the Border Guard Bangladesh came under attack in Jaintapur, Sylhet.
Many of the weapons looted from police stations on 5 August 2024 remain unrecovered, adding to the unease.
Analysts say intelligence operations must be significantly strengthened to prevent election-related violence. They warn that the country’s intelligence capacity is fragile, while multiple forces at home and abroad are seeking to derail, disrupt or undermine the credibility of the election.
Law enforcement agencies would be unable to act effectively without reliable intelligence, said former inspector general of police Ashraful Huda.
“The weapons recovery drive is far from satisfactory, and arms are still entering through the borders,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh. “The Border Guard Bangladesh should be deployed more intensively on border security, rather than being diverted to other duties.”
Meanwhile, the government has announced a sweeping expansion of security measures around the election, including the deployment of 25,000 body-worn cameras and 418 drones to monitor polling and campaigning.
According to official plans, the Bangladesh Army will operate 200 drones, the Border Guard Bangladesh 100, Bangladesh Police 50, and the Bangladesh Coast Guard 20, while the Navy, RAB, and the Ansar and Village Defence Force will each deploy 16. Closed-circuit television cameras are also set to be installed at 42,761 polling centres nationwide.
Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told TIMES that there were “no risks or challenges” surrounding the election. “The police are fully prepared to maintain law and order,” he said.
He said that, for the first time, around 150,000 police personnel were being trained specifically for election duties. Officers, he added, would be deployed rigorously, from transporting ballot papers and boxes ahead of polling to maintaining overall security on election day and the following day.
Home affairs adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury warned that no one attempting to create disorder during the election would be spared.
The election, scheduled for 12 February, is widely seen as a crucial moment in the country’s democratic transition following the mass uprising in 2024 that led to the ouster of the Awami League government.
Trail of clashes
Since the election schedule was announced on 11 December, violence reported both before and after the start of campaigning on 22 January has raised fresh concerns about the law-and-order situation.
Most recently, Hasan Mollah, 42, general secretary of the Hazratpur Union unit of the BNP, was shot while returning home after campaigning in the Dhaka-2 (Keraniganj) constituency. He died on Saturday afternoon after two days of treatment in Dhaka. The BNP has alleged that he was killed as part of a conspiracy to sabotage the election.
Earlier, at least 16 people were injured in clashes between local BNP activists and leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami in the Pirerbagh area of the Dhaka-14 (Mirpur–Shah Ali–Darus Salam–Savar) constituency.
On the same day, repeated clashes, chases and counter-chases, and vandalism of election offices were reported between BNP and Jamaat activists in Cumilla-11 (Chauddagram) and Lakshmipur Sadar.
Similar election-related violence has been reported in Cumilla-2, Pirojpur-2, Chattogram-9, Chuadanga-1, Kaliganj in Jhenaidah, Munshiganj, Chatmohar (Pabna-3), Magura-1, Dhaka-20, Gournadi in Barishal, Austagram in Kishoreganj, Munshiganj-2 and 3, and Gobindaganj in Gaibandha.
More than a hundred people have been injured in total, and several cases have been filed over the incidents.
According to reports, the clashes have largely stemmed from confrontations between BNP and Jamaat activists, disputes between the BNP and rebel candidates, and internal infighting within the BNP.
Separately, during campaigning in the Dhaka-8 (Motijheel–Ramna–Shahbagh–Shahjahanpur) constituency, Nasir Uddin Patwary, a candidate of the National Citizen Party, was pelted with eggs and splashed with dirty water.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch has stepped up operations to recover illegal firearms ahead of the election, an official said.
The intensified drive is part of broader security preparations for the polls, Shafiqul Islam, additional police commissioner of the detective branch, said.
As part of the effort, a team from DB Wari carried out an operation on Friday in the Jatrabari police station area of the capital, arresting two people and seizing a foreign-made pistol, two magazines, seven rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle, he added.
Those arrested were identified as Md Rana Mollah, 26, and Nur Mohammad, 32. Operations to recover illegal firearms are continuing, according to Shafiqul.
Meanwhile, Barishal range deputy inspector general of police Manjur Morshed Alam said no major untoward incidents had been reported anywhere in the country so far.
He said a wide array of forces would be deployed alongside the police during the election.
