The Election Commission says the army will not have to patrol the streets during the city corporation elections.
Published : 24 Apr 2015, 12:00 AM
‘Adequate’ number of personnel from other law-enforcing agencies will be deployed, it says.
“Troops won’t have to engage in patrol separately as we have kept more than enough law-enforcers of other agencies,” said Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz.
“The army will patrol the streets if the returning officer calls for them whenever he seems it necessary,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed also said, “They need to stay at one place together. We think cantonments are the best places for them.”
The EC, after much consideration, last Tuesday announced that the troopers would be deployed alongside law-enforcing agencies to keep order during the polls.
The EC’s explanation on Thursday came to clear any confusion about the army’s role during the polls.
The Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations go to election on Apr 28.
The EC has already written to the Armed Forces Division seeking one battalion for each city corporation for election duty from Apr 26 until Apr 29.
The EC in its first letter to the AFD on Tuesday only said the army would be kept as the ‘reserved and striking force’ during the polls.
Confusion rose after the Commission on Wednesday sent a revised letter to the AFD which said the army would be at the ready inside the cantonments until they were called to act as the strike force.
The BNP derided the decision saying keeping the army as a reserved strike force was ‘eyewash’.
They also demanded judicial powers for the army, but the CEC dismissed it.
Commissioner Shah Nawaz spoke with journalists Thursday afternoon to try and clear out any misgivings about the army deployment.
Regarding Wednesday’s revised letter, he said Tuesday’s letter did not mention where the army battalions would be stationed during the election duty.
“We have asked the army to be at the ready in their cantonments because these are near to the constituencies.”
“The letters are not different to one another. The second one was only sent to clarify where the army will be stationed.”
CEC Ahmed, while leaving office later in the evening, told reporters, “Mr Shah Nawaz has answered your questions. So no more questions (to me).”
“But then let me say it again that army deployment is not a big issue (to be worried about),” he added.
“The army has always been kept as a reserve force. It will be the same this time too,” Ahmad said.
He said having the soldiers remain at the centrally located cantonments in Dhaka and Chittagong would be better for them to move fast when needed.