Law enforcement to be deployed for 7 days round Feb election

Law enforcing agencies will be deployed across the country for seven days surrounding the upcoming parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for 12 February, aiming to ensure law and order and facilitate a free, fair, impartial, peaceful and festive election.

According to a home ministry circular issued yesterday, the deployment will begin on 8 February, four days before the polls, and will remain in force until 14 February.

The circular states that to conduct the 13th National Parliament Election in a free, fair, peaceful and impartial manner, police, BGB, Ansar and VDP, and the Coast Guard will be deployed to maintain peace and order, while members of the armed forces will be deployed under the "In aid to civil power" provision to assist the local civil administration.

The election will involve approximately 127.5 million voters, with polling to be held at around 260,000 booths in nearly 43,000 polling stations across 300 constituencies. In total, more than 800,000 personnel from various forces will be deputed for election duties.

Of them, about 550,000 members of the Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) will be assigned to polling stations. 

In addition, around 150,000 police personnel, one lakh members of the armed forces and 35,000 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Coast Guard will also assist in ensuring security.

According to the circular, specific security arrangements have been outlined for different categories of polling stations and regions.

Outside metropolitan areas, each general polling station will be guarded by two armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander. Each important polling station will have three armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander.

In metropolitan areas, every general polling station will be provided with three armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander, while each important polling station will have four armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander.

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and other remote areas, security arrangements will include two armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander, at each general polling station. Each important polling station in these areas will have three armed police personnel and three Ansar members, including one armed section commander.

Additionally, every presiding officer at polling stations in the CHT and remote areas will be provided with one armed Ansar member for personal security.

Apart from these deployments, every polling station across the country will be assigned 10 Ansar personnel, comprising four women and six men, equipped with sticks to assist in maintaining order.  
The enforcement plan will be implemented in line with decisions taken at coordination meetings between the Election Commission (EC) and law enforcing agencies. 

The EC held two such meetings with senior officials—one before and another after the announcement of the election schedule on 11 December. 

Following those meetings, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a circular detailing the comprehensive security deployment plan.

The government has decided to deploy law enforcement forces in two phases ahead of the 13th National Parliament Election and referendum on 12 February. 

Under this plan, all activities — from polling station-based security to mobile and striking force management — will be coordinated under the Returning Officer. 

According to the circular, law enforcement forces will be deployed in two phases. Personnel deployed in the first phase will remain in place, while the second phase will be vote-centric, with members of law enforcing agencies remaining on duty for a total of seven days from 8 to 14 February.

The armed forces, BGB, Coast Guard, RAB, Police, Armed Police Battalion (APBN) and Ansar Battalion will operate as mobile and striking forces to maintain peace and order in the electoral areas. 

BGB, RAB, APBN and Ansar Battalion will function on a district, upazila and police station basis, while the Coast Guard will be responsible for coastal areas.

All forces will report to the returning officer concerned and perform their duties according to his instructions and advice. If necessary, mobile and striking teams may be reorganized.

The circular also announced the formation of a law and order coordination cell to ensure coordination among the police, Ansar VDP, armed forces, BGB, Coast Guard and RAB. Each law enforcement agency will have one representative in this coordination cell.

Additionally, a special team will be formed under the emergency service number 999 to provide round-the-clock service during the 13th National Parliament Election and referendum. 

This team will be connected to the Law and Order Coordination Cell and will forward election-related complaints or information directly to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the relevant area-based coordination cell for prompt action.

In coordination with the Law and Order Coordination Cells at district and upazila levels, the armed forces, BGB, Coast Guard and RAB will be deployed at polling centres alongside police and Ansar VDP, taking into account security sensitivity.

To further ensure a fair election, joint forces will conduct area-based operations and checkpoint operations in coordination with the Law and Order Coordination Cells formed at district and upazila levels throughout the election period.