National polls: 60,000 troops to be deployed; govt to train 1.50 lakh police on election duty from Sept

The government will deploy 60,000 members of the Bangladesh Army during the next national election period to help maintain law and order and ensure voter safety.

Also, a three-month-long training for 1.5 lakh members of the police on election duties will start from September, said the Chief Adviser's (CA) Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam today (28 July).

The decision came from a key review meeting, chaired by CA Muhammad Yunus, at the state guest house Jamuna held earlier in the day to assess the country's law and order situation and the preparedness of law enforcement agencies ahead of the national polls.

The meeting was attended by advisers and government officials of concerned ministries and representatives of different law enforcement and security forces, including the army and police.

Talking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy after the meeting, Shafiqul said the inspector general of police informed the meeting that 1.5 lakh police personnel will receive specialised election-related training throughout September, October, and November.

He said the meeting also placed strong emphasis on enhancing coordination among the police, army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and local administration to ensure a smooth electoral process.

"It was underscored that coordination must be enhanced swiftly at both the local and national level," he said.

The press secretary said that ahead of the election, a significant amount of misinformation has already been circulated, and this is likely to increase in the coming days.

To address this, there are plans to establish a National Information Centre that will help identify and counter such misinformation, he said. "This matter was discussed in detail."

Shafiqul said the aim is to collect election-related information quickly and disseminate it efficiently. "Daily press briefings will provide updates on where incidents are happening and the status of different areas, allowing for real-time communication."

He added that much of the good work being done by the police often goes unnoticed. "With this media centre in place, it will be possible to showcase those efforts as well."

CA's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said the CA has instructed that potential election hotspots be identified. Before the election, the law enforcement agencies will identify areas they consider likely hotspots.

He said recommendations will be made in advance on what measures can be taken in those areas. "It was further discussed that situation reports will be sent from the district level to the centre, enabling appropriate action to be taken based on real-time assessments."

The meeting also discussed administrative reshuffles, discussing in detail the process and the specific areas where changes may take place, Azad said.

On 26 July, during a meeting at Jamuna, CA Yunus told the leaders of 14 political parties that the election date and roadmap will be announced within the next four to five days.

Earlier this month, at another meeting on 9 July, the chief adviser had ordered police, BGB, and Ansar and VDP to complete all types of preparations by December this year for the next national election.

Addressing the media that day, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said, "Two possible dates for the election were mentioned [during the meeting]. The first half of April or before Ramadan, if all preparations are complete and reforms are in place."

The key decisions taken in that meeting included the recruitment of 17,000 people in various forces focusing on the election and deployment of around 8,00,000 security personnel across the country on election day, including 5.70 lakh Ansar, 1.41 lakh police, as well as personnel from BGB, Coast Guard, and other forces.

To ensure smooth electoral proceedings, Shafiqul had said, law enforcement agencies will receive intensive training, focusing on non-partisan law enforcement and peaceful conduct during the election period.

Special emphasis will be placed on preparing security personnel to uphold peace and fairness throughout the electoral process, he added.