Google Alert – Bangladesh Army
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus Monday directed enhancing coordination among the army, police, and grassroots-level local administration for a smooth conduct of elections, exigent for filling post-uprising vacuum in elective government bodies.
Officials said the head of interim government of Bangladesh gave the directives in a meeting with law-enforcement agencies on preparation for the upcoming general election, where massive security deployment for policing the polls was discussed.
The two-hour-long meeting focused on evaluating the current level of preparedness and identifying further measures that can be warranted.
“The discussion primarily centered around enhancing coordination among the army, police, and grassroots-level local administration. Emphasis was repeatedly placed on improving coordination at both local and national levels” said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the CA, after the meet.
There was also discussion about the police preparation ahead of the election. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) informed that training for 150,000 police personnel will commence in September to arm them with the dos.
The Press Secretary said, “With the election approaching, a large volume of misinformation and propaganda has already started circulating. This is likely to increase in the coming days. In response to this, there are plans to establish a National Information Centre to rapidly address and counter such disinformation. This was discussed in great detail during the meeting.”
He also mentioned that a few days ago, a police command centre was established, and the Chief Adviser proposed setting up a media centre within it. “The goal is to ensure that law-and-order-related information can be gathered quickly and that daily press briefings can be held to keep the public informed,” he said. The Chief Adviser pointed out that much of the police’s effective work does not reach the public for the absence of a dedicated media centre.
“Police are doing commendable work in many areas and responding swiftly to incidents, but these efforts often go unnoticed,” he added.
In response to a question, the Press Secretary mentioned that according to the army, approximately 60,000 members of the armed forces will be deployed for election duties.
They have already been in the field since last August 05 –the day when the past government was toppled amid political upheavals–and they have magisterial authority.
The government expects them to play a strong role in maintaining law and order and serve primarily as a striking force, Mr Shafiq said.
Responding to another question, the Press Secretary said intelligence activities were also discussed. The Chief Adviser emphasised that there must be no weakness in the performance of intelligence agencies during the election period. Enhanced coordination among intelligence agencies was also stressed.
Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, said there will be transfers ahead of the election, but no blanket decision has been made for all areas. “Transfers will only take place where necessary.”
He added that the Chief Adviser instructed law enforcement to swiftly identify crime hotspots ahead of the election and to assess what additional security measures may be required in those areas.
He also directed that situation reports from different districts’ law-enforcement agencies be sent centrally so that senior government officials can understand ground realities and take appropriate actions accordingly.
Matters of administrative reshuffles ahead of the election were also discussed in the meeting. Deliberations were held on how such reshuffles will be conducted, and some decisions have been made in this regard.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com