The home ministry has issued special instructions to the police force to remain alert after the announcement of the polls schedule and take all necessary steps to fend off all unwanted situations across the country.
The law enforcers will give maximum attention to the security of the capital, while priorities will also be given to areas that have a strong presence of Jamaat-Shibir activists, which include Sylhet, Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Comilla, Chittagong, Noakhali and Jessore.
Additional police personnel have already been deployed at key points of the capital. Along with the regular police force, some plainclothes police and intelligence officials will also stay on duty to detain any suspicious individual.
Moreover, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will also provide support to the law enforcers.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said law enforcers would take all possible stern actions against the groups or people trying to create violence in the name of political programmes. The police force is ready to tackle any ongoing situation, he added.
Meanwhile, a law and order coordination cell – formed recently at a home ministry meeting – has also started to perform its duties. An additional secretary (political) of home ministry will supervise the cell.
The monitoring cell will collect information from the district administrations, Bangladesh Police, Ansar, BGB and Bangladesh Coast Guard and the coordinating officer of the cell will give further instruction to them after analysing the collected information.
The monitoring cell will remain open from 9am to 10pm daily including government holidays. Mozakker Ali, joint secretary (political) of the ministry and coordinator of the cell, told the Dhaka Tribune that the monitoring cell has made a roster with three ministry officials.
“The monitoring cell was formed to maintain law and order as the national election is only a month away,” he said.
The officials, who will perform their duty on scheduled, will collect information about any ongoing situation and give further instruction after consulting with relevant officials, Mozakker added.
