Security tightened ahead of polls

Army commandos carrying light machine guns and wearing black bandanas are patrolling the city on election duty.

More than half a million security personnel from the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, sources said, are being deployed throughout the country to ensure peaceful elections tomorrow.

Such a massive mobilisation of military, paramilitary, police, coast guard and other personnel is the biggest ever in the country during peace time.

The security personnel will number around 510,000 as against some 75 million voters who will vote at 29,978 polling centres across the country. For every 150 voters, there will be one security guard. Nearly 120,000 trained female guards will be on election day duty.

Large contingents of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Police, Ansar, VDP and Coast Guards are moving out to the districts and upazilas (sub-districts) of the country.
This is the first time members of the armed forces have been given the power to arrest election offenders on polling day.

According to the figures available, 55,000 troops of the Bangladesh Army, 2,000 sailors, 50 plus officers and several hundred personnel from the Air Force, some 10,000 from the BDR and 53,000 policemen out of a total strength of 95,000 will be on election-related duty.

The coast guard will also be deployed. The largest contingent will be drawn from Ansar and VDP. They include some 3,500 fully trained battalion of Ansars and 385,000 'embodied' Ansars and VDP members who have been given some training.

While the armed forces personnel and BDR will be mainly stationed in the 64 district and 463 upazila headquarters and the four big cities, police, Ansar and VDP personnel will be on duty at the 29,978 polling centres.

The home ministry is learnt to have categorised only upazilas and not constituencies on the basis of their vulnerability or sensitivity. They have been identified as most vulnerable, highly vulnerable, generally vulnerable and normal. However, different security agencies are drawing up their own lists based on field assessments, sources said.

On the election day, each polling centre will have a minimum of 12 Ansar or VDP personnel and one policeman. Three or four of the Ansars and VDP will carry arms.

It is planned that at least four trained female VDP members in uniform will be posted at every polling centre. Deployment of female law enforcement personnel has been emphasised this time since nearly half of the voters are women.

Deployment of the Ansar began on Wednesday and they will be in the field till October 3 along with police. Armed Forces and BDR deployment began on September 22.

The army has set up camps in 373 upazilas and started surveillance activities. The BDR has deployed to 87 upazilas mainly in border districts. The Navy has made its presence felt in coastal regions.

The Air Force has also deployed officers and airmen for security at the airfields. They will provide transport aircraft and helicopter services for military deployment and election purposes.
Some 3,000 army personnel, including commandos, along with several hundred BDR men are on duty in the capital.

The Army will post at least two platoons at each district headquarters. Each platoon is likely to have 35 to 45 soldiers. A reserve company will also be available for contingency purposes in the districts.

Two platoons will be stationed at each upazila. An officer of the rank of lieutenant colonel will head the army personnel at district level while each platoon at every place is likely to have at least one officer, army sources said.