Not 29 Dec, army to be deployed on 3 Jan
The troops will perform the duties till 10 January
Army personnel will be deployed across the country on 3 January 2024 to help maintain law and order before, during, and after the upcoming national polls.
The troops will perform the duties till 10 January, according to a letter from the Armed Forces Division issued yesterday.
Considering the Election Commission's request for conducting the 12th national elections in a free, fair, impartial, and peaceful manner, support will be extended to the local civil administration under the "In Aid to the Civil Power" initiative in all 300 constituencies of Bangladesh from 3 January to 10 January, reads the letter.
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The army personnel will be stationed at pivotal and convenient locations in each district, upazila, and metropolitan area. Their deployment in these regions will be coordinated with the returning officer, ensuring collaboration with the district/upazila/police station authorities.
According to the letter, a coordination cell will commence operations in the Armed Forces Division starting from 29 December. The force will set up and operate coordination cells as required in different locations.
Earlier on 18 December, the Election Commission had said that the army would be deployed from 29 December to 10 January to maintain the country's law and order situation before, during and after the upcoming national polls.
In a letter to the armed forces' principal staff officer on the day, the commission had sought full cooperation.
Prior to that, on 17 December, President Mohammed Shahabuddin approved the deployment of the Bangladesh Army to bolster security and uphold law and order during the Jatiya Sangsad elections slated for 7 January.
For the 11th National Assembly elections in 2018, a total of 414 army platoons, each comprising 30 personnel, were deployed across 389 upazilas. Additionally, 48 navy platoons were deployed in 18 upazilas during that time.
For the 5 January election in 2014, approximately 50,000 armed forces personnel were deployed nationwide from 26 December to 9 January to ensure security during the parliamentary elections.
