‘Those who served in the past 3 elections will not be assigned this time’
Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, has said that individuals who served in the previous three national elections (2014, 2018, and 2024) will not be given any role in the upcoming national election.
He stated that the government will avoid assigning them responsibilities as much as possible in the forthcoming polls.
The adviser made the remarks on Sunday morning while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In response to a question from reporters, the adviser said that the trials of army officers against whom arrest warrants have been issued in three cases of the International Crimes Tribunal will proceed in due legal process.
Regarding allegations of “safe exit,” he said, “I live in this country, my children live in this country — I don’t need a safe exit.”
Speaking about the election, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that instructions have been given to deputy commissioners (DCs), superintendents of police (SPs), upazila executive officers (UNOs), and officers-in-charge (OCs) to ensure that the upcoming national election is free, fair, and impartial.
The adviser said that anyone or any group attempting to create unrest will be identified, brought under the law, and dealt with strictly to ensure a fair election. He added that directives have been given to law enforcement and election-related officials not to engage in any unlawful activity.
To ensure security during the election, the adviser said that all vulnerable polling centers will be equipped with CCTV cameras and monitored effectively. Adequate numbers of body-worn cameras are also being arranged for law enforcement and election officials.
He further mentioned that the training of law enforcement personnel for the election will be completed as soon as possible. Around 150,000 police officers are receiving election-related training. The three-day training is being conducted in 28 batches at 130 venues across the country, including districts, metropolitan areas, and training institutions. Training for one batch of 6,500 members has been completed, and another batch of 6,500 members is currently undergoing training, he said, adding that all batches are expected to complete training by 15 January.
The adviser also said that a total of 585,000 members of the Ansar and VDP will receive training for this election — among them, 135,000 will be trained with arms and 450,000 without arms. Their training is expected to be completed by mid-January. Additionally, members of the Ansar Battalion will serve as striking forces during the national election, with 3,157 newly recruited sepoys currently under training for that purpose.
According to the adviser, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will deploy 33,000 personnel across 1,100 platoons. Sixty per cent of them have already received election training, and the rest are expected to complete it by 31 December. He also mentioned that approximately 80,000 members of the armed forces will be deployed for the upcoming election.
The adviser noted that the fascist Awami League’s flash processions have declined significantly compared to before.
He said the situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is currently peaceful and under control. The fascists tried various conspiracies to disrupt the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja, and some so-called intellectuals also encouraged them. But the active efforts of the law enforcement agencies foiled their plots, he added.