Police identify 8,746 polling centres as highly vulnerable

Ahead of the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election, police have identified 8,746 polling centres nationwide as highly vulnerable. Dhaka Division has the highest number of such highly risky centres (2,675), while Sylhet Division has the lowest number of such centres (457).

The police headquarters has classified polling centres across the country into three categories: red (highly vulnerable), yellow (vulnerable), and green (normal), taking into consideration factors such as the number of voters at a centre, distance from the police station, dominance of particular political parties in the area, remote locations, hilly regions, and char areas.

According to police data, there are 16,359 vulnerable centres and 17,656 normal centres nationwide.

A police source says the preliminary plan is to deploy three police personnel at each highly vulnerable centre, two at vulnerable centres, and one at normal centres. Each police member assigned to polling-centre security will be equipped with firearms and a body-worn camera. Additionally, 13 Ansar members will be deployed at every centre. Beyond this, the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and other forces will also be on duty for security.

The election commission (EC) has finalised 42,761 polling centres for the 13th national parliamentary election. Since the national election and the referendum will take place on the same day, the number of centres or booths may increase. In that case, the security plan may also change.

The interim government has repeatedly stated that the national election will be held in the first half of February next year. In preparation, the EC is holding a law-and-order coordination meeting today, Thursday.

Senior officials from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, BGB, Police, RAB, Ansar, Coast Guard, and various intelligence agencies will participate. Police headquarters will present its assessment of polling-centre security.

The last three national elections held under the Awami League government were all controversial. The 2014 election was entirely one-sided as voting was not needed due to single candidates in 153 seats. The 2018 election became widely known as the “night election” and the most recent 2024 election is considered a “dummy” election.

In all three elections, the role of police and other law enforcement agencies was questioned. To ensure that police do not work for any party’s candidate in the upcoming election, the interim government has taken several measures.

Superintendents of Police in all 64 districts have already been appointed through lottery. Likewise, all police station officers-in-charge (OCs) will be changed before the election through the same method. In addition, 150,000 police personnel are being trained on dos and don’ts to avoid controversial actions during the election. More than 60,000 have already completed training, and the rest are expected to finish by January, according to police headquarters.

Several police officials told Prothom Alo that they fear possible use of arms during the election period. Various groups may also spread rumours to create panic. Additionally, there is information that leaders and activists of the now-banned Awami League may engage in acts of sabotage. These factors have been considered when designing the polling-centre security plan.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rezaul Karim of police headquarters told Prothom Alo that the police are taking all necessary preparations as per government instruction to ensure a fair and festive election.

Dhaka division consists of 13 districts, which make up the Dhaka Range of the the police. These districts have 8,031 polling centres. The Dhaka city area has 2,131 polling centres. Altogether, there are 10,162 in Dhaka. Of these, 2,675—about 26.3 per cent —are highly vulnerable.

According to police, Munshiganj has the highest number of highly vulnerable centres in Dhaka Division, 272; followed by Kishoreganj 243. Other districts: Narsingdi (237), Madaripur (224), Gopalganj (190), Narayanganj (163), Tangail (160), Faridpur (154), Shariatpur (122), Manikganj (67), Gazipur (51), Rajbari (29), and Dhaka district outside the city area (68).

Officials in the Dhaka Range say Awami League previously held strong dominance in Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, and Rajbari. Party activists in these areas may attempt sabotage, which is why Dhaka division has the highest number of highly vulnerable centres.

After Dhaka, Chattogram division has the most highly vulnerable centres. Of 7,347 polling centres in its 11 districts, 1,440 are highly vulnerable.

Police assessments also include the situation in the eight major city areas.
Among them, 695 out of 2,131 centres in Dhaka city have been marked highly vulnerable, and 1133 have been labeled as vulnerable. Chattogram city has 312 highly vulnerable centers, Sylhet city has 95, Rajshahi city has 87, Gazipur city 80, Khulna city has 79, Rangpur city has 47, and Barishal city has 21.

Police headquarters’ initial plan is that all officers directly responsible at polling centres will wear body-worn cameras. For the full eight hours of polling, all activities will be recorded and stored centrally. This is intended to prevent questions about the conduct of police on duty. Any attempt at disorder by political activists or supporters will also be recorded.

Sources say that if disorder occurs at any centre, duty officers will record it through body-worn cameras, and immediate action will be taken based on the footage. CCTV will also be installed in 100 per cent of polling centres.

A DIG-level police officer, requesting anonymity, told Prothom Alo that although law enforcement will ensure full security measures, a fair election ultimately depends on the government’s intention. The current government is not a partisan one, and it does not favour any particular party or candidate. Therefore, there is no reason for the election not to be free and fair.

Multiple sources say police will strengthen operations to control illegal weapons in all electoral areas. Police will propose to the government and EC that licensed firearm owners deposit their weapons at local police stations before the election.

Former additional secretary to the EC, Jesmin Tuli, told Prothom Alo that law and order must improve further before the election.

She said that after the schedule is announced, conditions may improve. Recovery of weapons and ammunition looted from various police stations last year is crucial, and a strong operation to seize illegal arms before the election should be undertaken.