Where has law and order deteriorated? Only one or two murders occur occasionally, says CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said the law and order situation has not deteriorated, and one or two incidents of murder occur occasionally.

The shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi is an isolated incident, and such incidents tend to happen when elections approach.

He made these remarks at an event in Gulshan, Dhaka Monday morning while replying to queries from journalists about whether the deterioration of law and order poses an obstacle to holding a fair election.

The event was organised to encourage young voters to participate in the upcoming election.

AMM Nasir Uddin said, “Where did the law and order situation deteriorate? Occasionally one or two murders happen. This incident involving Hadi—we consider these to be isolated incidents. Such incidents have always existed. Didn’t Ahsanullah Master get killed before? Didn’t former Finance Minister Kibria get killed? When elections come, such incidents tend to occur. These are not new in Bangladesh. Therefore, the law and order situation has improved rather than deteriorating.”

Regarding this, the ECE further said, “Compare it with 5 August 2024. At that time, police stations were non-functional, and police stations were not even moving. Compared to that period, the law and order situation has improved significantly. Now we can move around peacefully, travel on the roads, and sleep peacefully.”

Replying to a question about whether there are any concerns regarding the election, AMM Nasir Uddin said, “There is no concern about the election. We are fully prepared. Insha Allah, the election will be held, and it will be held with everyone, with the cooperation of all. No matter what kinds of worries arise regarding this, shake those worries out of your head. Let us all prepare together so that we can conduct a fair election.”

Stating that the Election Commission is committed to fulfilling its promise to the nation, the CEC said, “Just yesterday, we held a meeting with the top officials of the law enforcement agencies and issued the necessary instructions. Insha Allah, our forces are fully prepared. You can be assured that the election will be held on time, properly, and in a fair, beautiful, and competitive environment. The promise we made to the nation—the Election Commission is committed to fulfilling that promise. Together with everyone, we will present a beautiful election.”

AMM Nasir Uddin said, “I repeatedly say that this election is a historic election. Because for the first time in this election, we are bringing expatriate Bangladeshis under the voting system through postal ballots, which did not happen for 54 years, we are doing this time. This time, nearly one million officials and employees, including members of the law enforcement agencies who are involved in the electoral process, were never able to vote, but this time, we are arranging voting for them as well through postal ballots. Voting arrangements are being made for prisoners, for expatriates, and for government employees who are outside their own constituencies.”

The CEC further said, “Above all, a referendum will also have to be held at the same time. From all these aspects, this is undoubtedly historic. If all of you, especially the young generation, stand with our courageous step of venturing down this path, Insha Allah we will succeed. The Election Commission alone cannot succeed in delivering a free, fair, and credible election. We will do this together with everyone.”