The government will not allow any anti-election rallies and processions now that the Election Commission has declared the schedule for the tenth parliamentary polls.
“None will be allowed to hold anti-polls meetings or processions that go against the electoral norms,” Home Ministry Additional Secretary Mainuddin Khandker told the Dhaka Tribune at his office on Monday.
The senior official made the remark as the Election Commission was announcing January 5 as the date for the polls, which have to be held by 24 January following the constitution.
The main opposition is still sticking to its principles on non-party parliamentary polls, saying that the party will not participate in the election under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led administration and that it will resist the polls at any cost.
Sources close to the government said the army would be deployed to recover illegal arms to ensure a “congenial atmosphere” for the election.
“We traced in 61 upazilas the strongholds of Jamaat-e-Islami, which were virtually disarmed by taking stringent measures including arrests of the party leaders and activists,” Mainuddin Khandker said.
The additional secretary claimed that the violence in Sitakunda had been tamed.
Ten squads comprised of locals were formed in ten unions of Sitakunda only to dissuade commoners from resorting to violence, added the official.
Sitakunda turned violent when BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami activists clashed with police, vandalised dozens of vehicles and also set fire to some of them on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
A highly-placed source at the police headquarters told the Dhaka tribune that law enforcers would launch a crackdown on illegal arms across the country.
Ahead of the election, police have already started stockpiling tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and sound grenades.
Besides, additional forces will be deployed to those districts known to be dominated by Jamaat.
Detective Branch of police said they had already been watching around 2,000 leaders and activists of the opposition and collecting information about their hideouts.
The intelligence agencies suspect that a surge in political violence is looming large on the horizon if the ruling Awami League and the opposition fail to reach a consensus on the polls-time administration through dialogue.
As part of precautionary measures, members of Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh, Detective Branch of police, Criminal Investigation Department and regular police force recently held a meeting at police headquarters and came up to a decision about what to do to foil violence centring on the polls.
Sources said the law enforcers would operate joint raids with participation of all forces in order to maintain a “peaceful” polls atmosphere.
The intelligence agency has reports that the “opposition might carry out targeted killing, explosions and arson attack more heavily than at any previous time.”
For this reason, the opposition leaders and activists including their “financiers” might be arrested to rein in their evil attempts, added the sources.
