Heightened police vigilance in 4 districts, including Gopalganj

Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, police surveillance has been intensified in four districts, including Gopalganj. Law enforcement agencies have identified these areas as particularly high-risk due to fears of sabotage, violence, and attempts to intimidate voters before and on election day.

Sources at police headquarters said that based on past incidents of political violence and intelligence assessments, separate and enhanced security plans have been drawn up for Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, and Faridpur.

Special consideration has been given to incidents such as the attack on the army in Gopalganj in 2024 following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government during the mass uprising, as well as violence, clashes, and attacks surrounding an NCP (National Citizen Party) rally in July last year.

Intelligence reports warn of attempts to prevent voters from coming to polling stations in these four districts through intimidation. As a result, special surveillance is being carried out around particularly vulnerable polling centres, focusing on the movement of outsiders, political activists, and suspicious activities.

At the same time, superintendents of police (SPs) in the four districts are conducting area-based risk assessments and formulating their own security plans, which are being sent to police headquarters.

Police are also holding coordination meetings with the district administration, the army, Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP), intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement units. In addition, heightened vigilance is being maintained in Khulna and Bagerhat districts due to their proximity to Gopalganj.

Concerns have emerged about the possibility of voter intimidation and, in some places, attempts to seize polling centres. Considering these risks, law enforcement agencies have adopted extensive security measures nationwide.

Border districts are also under increased surveillance. Decisions have been taken to strengthen patrols to ensure the safety of key installations, roads, and transport routes before and after the election.

Police sources said two major risks have been identified so far in this election. The first is the possibility of sudden acts of sabotage before or on election day aimed at spreading panic.

These may include explosions, arson, cocktail blasts, or violent attacks intended to discourage voters from heading to polling centres. The second risk involves attempts by rival candidates or their supporters to influence the vote, including seizing polling centres, ballot stuffing, intimidating voters, or provoking clashes.

There are also fears of covert attacks and targeted killings ahead of the election.

To counter this, patrols, checkpoints, mobile patrols, and intelligence activities are being intensified in the days leading up to the vote. Police have issued special instructions nationwide to arrest professional criminals, hired killers, and shooters.

The Special Branch (SB) of police has already compiled lists of shooters and contract killers and distributed them to relevant units across the country. The list includes the names of 103 individuals in the capital alone who have been linked to various criminal activities over the past 10–15 years.

Sources at the Chief Adviser’s Office and police said that 25,500 body-worn cameras will be used at high-risk polling centres during the election. Of these, around 15,000 cameras will be equipped with SIM cards. If disturbances arise at any polling centre, SOS or emergency alerts can be sent, enabling live streaming from these cameras via the internet.

Facilities are in place to monitor live video footage at all times. The remaining approximately 10,000 cameras will operate offline, with recorded footage available for later review if necessary.

The responsibility for distributing and deploying these cameras has been assigned to district superintendents of police (SPs). Under their supervision, decisions will be made on how many cameras are deployed at each centre and where online or offline systems will be used, based on local risk assessments.

Monitoring centres have also been set up at every police station, district, and range DIG office, as well as metropolitan police commissioner offices. These centres will allow authorities to monitor camera feeds in their respective areas and take action as needed.

In addition to cameras, the government has said that around 500 drones and approximately 50 dog squads will be deployed for election security. Meanwhile, work is underway to install CCTV cameras at 21,946 highly important and vulnerable polling centres nationwide.

In several districts, CCTV installation at such centres has already been completed in full. Beyond these, 6,552 of the country’s 42,000 polling centres already had CCTV coverage. Efforts are also underway to provide electricity connections to 299 polling centres that previously lacked power.

A senior official from the relevant wing of police headquarters said, “Digital surveillance has been increased so that no one can deny wrongdoing. If any allegation arises or an incident occurs, decisions can be taken immediately by reviewing the footage.”

To operate the digital surveillance equipment and ensure overall election security, around 900,000 members of law enforcement agencies will be deployed for the election. This includes about 150,000 police personnel, more than 100,000 army members, over 5,000 navy personnel, more than 3,730 air force members, and 576,000 members of Ansar and Village Defence Party. Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Fire Service will also be on election security duty.

Sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs said that police and other forces will use drones where necessary. All forces will be deployed four days before the election and will remain in the field for seven days after voting.

All election-related field activities will be under 24-hour digital surveillance. Through body-worn cameras, authorities will be able to connect instantly with specific areas, ensuring that all incidents are recorded. On polling day, everything will be monitored from a central control room.

Another major security concern surrounding the election is the personal safety of candidates. Security discussions have intensified following incidents such as the shooting death of Inqilab Moncho convener Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi and attacks on candidates in several parts of the country.

Police said three types of security arrangements have been introduced based on risk levels. Some candidates have been provided with round-the-clock gunmen. Police guards have been stationed at the homes of others. For candidates assessed as facing higher risks, arrangements include gunmen, residential security, and police protocol vehicles.

Police sources said at least 18 candidates have been placed under such special security measures. In addition, SPs have been instructed to ensure the safety of politically sensitive individuals or those facing risks at the district level.

Sources at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said two top leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have been provided with gunmen, residential security, and police protocol vehicles.

Gunmen have also been assigned to Dhaka-11 candidate and National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam, Dhaka-12 candidate and Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Haque, and Dhaka-13 BNP candidate Bobby Hajjaj.

Additionally, NCP candidate Nasiruddin Patwary in Dhaka-8 and independent candidate Tasnim Zara in Dhaka-9 are being provided with both gunmen and police protocol vehicles.

Stakeholders see the upcoming national election as a major test of the capacity and neutrality of law enforcement agencies. In preparation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is holding online meetings at least once every seven days with metropolitan police commissioners and district superintendents of police.

These meetings focus on field-level conditions, intelligence reports, political activities, high-risk areas, and security gaps. District-level preparedness is also reported directly to the IGP.

When asked about the matter, IGP Baharul Alam told Prothom Alo, “Ensuring that voters can come to polling centres freely, cast their votes peacefully, and return home safely—these three issues are our primary responsibility. To ensure this, we are giving the highest priority to preventing any crisis of confidence regarding law and order among voters and candidates ahead of the election. All security plans are being designed accordingly.”