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Published : 05 Feb 2026, 07:08 PM
The Bangladesh Army considers the spread of false and misleading information on social media the “biggest threat” to the national election, a senior officer has said.
On Thursday, he called for cooperation from all quarters, warning against the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).
The remarks were made by Brig Gen Dewan Mohammad Monzur Hossain, director of the Military Operations Directorate at Army Headquarters, at a press conference at the Roller Skating Complex in Gulistan.
He said such disinformation is aimed at “portraying candidates or political parties negatively”, discouraging voters from going to polling centres, questioning the neutrality of individuals or institutions involved in the election, or exaggerating minor incidents to spread fear among the public.
“In preventing this propaganda, we seek your assistance. If objective, factual and timely news is published, it will be easier to counter this falsehood and misinformation,” he said.
Brig Gen Dewan said the Army has completed its preparations to ensure that the parliamentary election is free, fair and peaceful.
For the first time, he said, the Army will carry out its duties up to the polling centre premises so that voters can go to cast their ballots without fear.
Asked why more troops are being deployed than in previous elections, he said: “We have repeatedly said that we are deploying 100,000 Army personnel for this election.
“In previous elections, we deployed a maximum of 40,000 to 42,000 troops. Why this huge difference, why have we gone to the field in such large numbers -- the difference this time is that the armed forces have been allowed to go up to the polling centre premises, which was not the case in previous elections.
“At that time, we were positioned at distant locations as a striking force.”
He said the chief of Army Staff deployed the minimum number of troops needed to ensure voters can safely reach polling centres and vote, while assigning the rest to ensure a credible election.
Due to insufficient transport, vehicles were sought from the civil administration, he added.
Referring to a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report, he was asked why violence and killings occurred despite the Army’s presence.
He replied: “Up to Jan 20, 35,000 Army personnel were deployed. These incidents occurred when 35,000 were present. Would the situation have improved or worsened if we were not there?
“We need to understand these issues… We are a densely populated country. Even after deploying 100,000 troops, it is truly inadequate… Still, there has been no lack of effort.”
He said incidents declined after 100,000 troops were deployed after Jan 20 and claimed the Army’s presence has boosted public confidence.
He said the Army has set up 544 temporary camps across 62 districts, 411 Upazilas and metropolitan areas.
“After the deployment of 100,000 troops in the past 14 days, more than 150 weapons have been recovered… A total of 22,320 identified criminals have been arrested and handed over to police,” he said.
He added that troop deployment was based on threat assessments.
