Army reaffirms full brace for peaceful, credible polls

Staff Reporter :

The Bangladesh Army on Thursday reaffirmed its “full preparedness” to assist civil authorities in conducting next week’s national parliamentary elections and the accompanying referendum in a fair, free and peaceful manner, citing extensive deployments, intensified security operations and close coordination with law enforcement agencies.

Brigadier General Dewan Mohammad Monzur Hossain, director of military operations, outlined the armed forces’ election-time role at a media briefing held at the Roller Skating Complex adjacent to the National Football Stadium in the capital’s Gulistan area. He said army personnel were already carrying out wide-ranging field-level activities as part of all-out preparations for the polls.

“The purpose of today’s briefing is to make the media aware of the army’s preparedness, deployment and ongoing activities during the election period,” Monzur Hossain said, adding that the military is operating strictly in support of the civil administration under the ‘In Aid to Civil Power’ framework.

Earlier in the day, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman inspected the activities of deployed troops at the National Football Stadium and exchanged views with representatives of the civil administration. Officials from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, divisional and district administrations, and other law enforcement agencies were present, discussing inter-agency coordination and overall security arrangements aimed at ensuring a smooth and peaceful election.

According to the military operations director, the army chief placed special emphasis on professionalism, impartiality, discipline, patience and citizen-friendly behaviour while performing election duties.

Monzur Hossain said troop deployment has been significantly scaled up in the run-up to the polls. Army strength was increased from 35,000 to 50,000 on January 10, before being expanded further to 100,000 personnel from January 20 to help maintain law and order during the sensitive pre-election phase. In previous elections, the highest number of deployed army personnel stood at around 42,000.

In addition to army troops, 5,000 navy sailors and 3,730 air force personnel have been deployed as part of the overall operations plan, alongside members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar, he said.

The armed forces are conducting regular patrols, joint operations and surveillance across the country. As part of these efforts, 544 temporary camps have been set up in 411 upazilas across 62 districts and metropolitan areas.
Monzur Hossain said the Home Ministry, acting as the lead ministry for election security, issued a circular under the direction of the Election Commission (EC) clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of the armed forces during the polls.

He highlighted a sharp rise in the recovery of illegal arms under ongoing security drives.

In just 14 days since January 20, around 150 weapons were seized, including locally made firearms, foreign pistols, ammunition, crude bombs and bomb-making materials. In a special joint operation in Bagharpara upazila of Jashore on January 31, security forces recovered four foreign pistols and 10 grenade-like hand bombs.

Overall, the Bangladesh Army has so far recovered 10,152 weapons and nearly 291,000 rounds of ammunition, and arrested 22,282 identified terrorists and criminals, handing them over to the police, he said.

The military operations director said discussions held by the army chief with key stakeholders highlighted two main objectives: assuring full military support to the civil administration and law enforcement agencies, and boosting public confidence in the election security framework.

“The message was clear,” Monzur Hossain said. “The government, the Election Commission, the civil administration, law enforcement agencies and the armed forces are jointly committed to organising a free, fair and peaceful election.”

To address logistical challenges, he said military helicopters and naval vessels will remain on standby to transport election personnel and materials to remote or high-risk areas on and after polling day. Army, Navy and Air Force helicopters will be pre-positioned across different regions to respond swiftly to emergencies.

Technology will play a crucial role in election security, he added. Police body-worn cameras will be used at high-risk polling centres, while drones and other digital monitoring tools will help respond quickly to any untoward situation.

Warning of possible attempts to disrupt the electoral process, Monzur Hossain said false and misleading information could be spread to create panic among voters, encourage boycotts or undermine confidence in candidates and institutions. He urged media outlets to play a responsible role by publishing timely, objective and fact-based reports to counter propaganda.

Responding to questions, he said special threat assessments had been conducted in sensitive areas, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rohingya refugee camps, and specific instructions had been issued to concerned units.

“The army has completed its own threat assessment considering possible situations before and after the elections, and deployment plans have been made accordingly,” he said.