Law enforcers want slowing down mobile net on voting day

Law enforcement agencies including police have recommended that the election commission slow down mobile internet speed at a minimum level on the day of voting on 30 December.

Their recommendation for bringing down the mobile phone network to 2G level on the voting day, came at a meeting convened by the EC at Nirbachan Bhaban on Thursday.

At least 10 high officials of law enforcement agencies proposed that the commission should control the entry of journalists and polls observers into polling stations, an official who attended the meeting told Prothom Alo.

Some of them recommended imposing moratoriun on the social networking sites before the voting day, the official added.

In response, an election commissioner was quoted to have told the meeting that the EC has no capacity to control the social media.

However, the commission has certain guidelines for journalists and observers but it cannot stop newsmen from entering the polling centres, the commissioner reportedly said.

The meeting was also attended by two secretaries of the home affairs ministry, the inspector general of police (IGP), principal staff officer at the Armed Forces Division, and high officials of the police, Rapid Action Battalion, and Border Guard Bangladesh, and returning officers and superintendents of police of all districts.

The law enforcement officials also recommended suspensiobn of mobile banking for three days before the 30 December elections, the officials present there said.

The representative of an intelligence agency was said to have expressed apprehensions that Rohingya people of Myanmar might be engaged in elections in Chattogram region.

The intelligence official also shared with the meeting that some militant attacks might be active during the election process and that political leaders might come under attack.