Army will be at the ready inside cantonments until they are called: EC

The Election Commission (EC) has written again to the Armed Forces Division (AFD), saying troopers need not be deployed on the streets during the city corporation elections.

Moinul Hoque Chowdhurybdnews24.com
Published : 22 April 2015, 06:38 PM
Updated : 22 April 2015, 07:29 PM

They will remain at the ready inside the cantonments in Dhaka and Chittagong until the returning officers call for them to act as a strike force, said the EC in a redrafted letter on Wednesday.
 
The Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations go to election on Apr 28.
 
The EC, after considering the matter at length, on Tuesday announced that the army would be deployed alongside law-enforcing agencies.
 
It had written to the AFD the same day seeking one battalion for each city corporation for election duty from Apr 26 until Apr 29.

Announcing the decision, Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz had also said the army would be used as the ‘reserve and striking force’.

Hours later, the BNP had demanded judicial powers for the troops during the polls.

The revised letter the EC sent to the AFD’s principal staff officer had Tuesday stamped on it.

Reached for comment on the matter, EC’s Deputy Secretary Md Shamsul Alam told bdnews24.com: “The second letter will be taken into account instead of the previous one.”

He refused to give details.

Barring changes in one paragraph, the wording of both letters was almost similar.

The revised paragraph says ‘the army will stay inside the cantonments as the reserve force and they will tackle any situation as the striking force if requested by the returning officer’.

Tuesday’s letter had not mentioned the cantonments.

No one at the Election Commission, including the commissioners and secretaries, would comment on the new letter.

Mobile phones of most of the election commissioners were switched off.

However, an EC official, asking not to be named, told bdnews24.com: “There isn’t enough time for the army to be deployed and set up camps. That’s why they will stay inside the cantonments.

“They can come out easily whenever they are needed,” said the official.

The BNP has been demanding army’s deployment to guard against foul play.

But after the EC acceded, they now say the decision to keep the army as a reserved and strike force was ‘eyewash’.

The party claims army deployment would be pointless if they are not given judicial powers.

But Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Tuesday night dismissed the demand.

The army, if deployed during the polls, will work beside police, RAB and Ansar and VDP.

The Election Commission will meet over the law and order situation on Thursday morning at the home ministry, said the officials.