Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder has said that while administrative reshuffles will take place ahead of the upcoming national election, no decision has been made to carry them out across all sectors.
“Reshuffles will be made only where necessary,” he said during a briefing held on Monday at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Azad further said the chief adviser has directed law enforcement agencies to swiftly identify crime hotspots ahead of the election.
He also instructed them to assess the need for additional security measures in those areas.
Furthermore, all law enforcement agencies across the districts have been instructed to submit situation reports centrally, enabling senior government officials to assess the ground reality and take appropriate actions accordingly.
The matter of administrative reshuffles was also discussed during the meeting and several decisions were made concerning the nature and scope of these changes before the polls.
Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that the chief adviser held a two-hour meeting with law enforcement agencies regarding election preparedness.
The discussions focused on improving coordination among the army, police and local administrations at the grassroots level, he told the media.
He said emphasis was placed on enhancing collaboration between local and national authorities to ensure effective election management. "Preparations of the police force ahead of the election were also reviewed."
According to the inspector general of police, training for 150,000 police personnel will begin in September.
The press secretary added: “With the upcoming election, there has been a surge in misinformation and propaganda, which is expected to intensify in the coming days. In response, plans are underway to establish a National Information Portal to promptly address and counter misinformation.”
He noted that the recently established police command centre will also include a media centre, as suggested by the chief adviser.
This centre will facilitate the rapid collection of law and order-related updates and host daily press briefings to ensure transparency.
The chief adviser observed that many of the commendable actions of the police are not reaching the public due to the absence of a dedicated media centre.
“Despite timely interventions by the police in many areas, much of their work remains unrecognized,” he said.
In response to a question, the press secretary confirmed that approximately 60,000 army personnel will be deployed during the election.
They will begin their duties after August 5 and will have magistracy authority.
“We expect the military to play a strong role as a striking force to maintain law and order,” he added.
Addressing another question, the press secretary said that the role of intelligence agencies during the election was also discussed. "It was emphasized that there must be no weakness in intelligence operations and that effective coordination among agencies is essential."