1,016 BGB platoons to be deployed nationwide to maintain order for election

A total of 1,016 Border Guards Bangladesh platoons will be deployed across the country to act as law enforcers for the national parliamentary election.

BGB personnel were dispatched from Dhaka on Monday, said BGB Headquarters Media Officer Mohsin Reza.

Fifty platoons will be deployed in Dhaka, he said.

But Reza could not say how many BGB personnel would be deployed in total.

Each platoon of the border security force has between 10 and 30 personnel, he said.

The total number depends on how many vehicles will be assigned to each platoon, he added.

Though the BGB platoons are being sent to their assigned districts, they will not begin patrols right away. The Election Commission will decide when they will start their operations, Reza said.

According to the EC’s scheduled plans, the armed forces are to be deployed six days before the election day. They will also remain deployed two days after the election on Dec 30.

The armed forces personnel, including the BGB, Coast Guard, Ansar Battalion, will act as a striking force. Each of the teams will have an executive magistrate.

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed had previously stated that BGB personnel be deployed 12 days before the election. In that case, they will be on patrol from Dec 22 to Jan 2.

It was also proposed that police, RAB and the armed police battalion be deployed six days before the election, or from Dec 26 to Dec 31.