Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Sunday (October 12) said that the government will exclude from duty in the next general election anyone who served in the 2014, 2018 or 2024 polls.
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the core committee on law and order at the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said the session focused on steps to ensure a free, fair, impartial and peaceful vote.
The measures discussed include identifying and prosecuting individuals or groups seeking to disrupt the process; issuing clear coordination plans for all relevant agencies; directing district administrators, police superintendents, upazila nirbahi officers and officers-in-charge to act with strict neutrality; and instructing election and law-enforcement officials to avoid any unlawful conduct.
Security provisions will be augmented by closed-circuit cameras at vulnerable polling stations and expanded monitoring. Law-enforcement and election personnel will also be equipped with a sufficient number of body-worn cameras.
The adviser outlined a nationwide training drive for security forces. Around 150,000 police will receive election duty training in 28 three-day batches at 130 venues across districts, metropolitan areas and training institutes. One batch (6,500 officers) has completed training and a second is under way. Final-phase police training began on October 5 and is scheduled to conclude by January 15.
For auxiliary forces, “pre-election” training will be provided to some 585,000 members of Ansar-VDP—about 13 personnel per each of an estimated 45,000 polling centres—including 135,000 armed and 450,000 unarmed members. Training for Ansar-VDP is expected to finish by mid-January, with Ansar battalion units serving as striking forces.
In addition, 3,157 recruit sepoys are in training for deployment. Border Guard Bangladesh will field 33,000 personnel in 1,100 platoons, with roughly 60% of their election training completed and the remainder due by December 31. The armed forces will deploy approximately 80,000 members during the polls.
Addressing the broader security environment, the adviser said “flash” processions by the Awami League had diminished, conditions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were calm, and attempts to disrupt Durga Puja festivities were foiled by proactive policing, allowing the celebrations to pass peacefully.
On narcotics, he said a zero-tolerance policy is in place, with instructions to bring not only couriers but also alleged “godfathers” under the law.
SMS/