& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Ansar-VDP

Govt rejects ansar-VDP's curious bid to watch polls

Staff Correspondent
The government on Saturday rejected a proposal for independent deployment of the ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) on poll duties, as the idea contradicts the home ministry's circular on election security measures.
In the proposal submitted to the ministry on December 14, the ansar and VDP suggested that they should control five percent of the total poll centres, sources said.
But such deployment is unprecedented in the history of elections in the country as the two forces traditionally carry out election duties along with the police.
Home ministry sources said the two forces, which run under a unified command, suggested in their independent force deployment ana operational proposal that their security activities during the election should be led by the ansar-VDP director general (DG), and should be executed through their own chain of command.
The proposal instantly gave rise to questions about its motive.
Sources said both the home ministry and the Election Commission rejected the proposal outright.
A senior official of Uie EC said, "The proposal was rejected outright as there is no scope for experimenting with the security of the national parliament election."
The home ministry's decision was also prompted by Bangladesh Police's veto of the idea, the sources said.
Police sources said they vetoed the idea because such a move would jeopardise poll security planning and open up possibilities of security Drcaches.
The proposal signed by Forkan Uddin Ahammaa, director of operations (current) of the Ansar, also suggested that the two auxiliary forces carry on independent patrols, and mob control and search operations where necessary.
But traditionally election security duties are carried out by all law enforcing agencies under the leadership of the police, which is coordinated oy returning officers.
The home ministry circular directed all law enforcement agencies, including the ansar and VDP, to carry out their duties as associates of the police.
It also directed them to consult with superintendents of police at the district level and with police commissioners in metropolitan cities while maintaining law and order during the election period.
In contrast, the ansar-VDP proposal sought to place the Ansar DG out of the purview of the rule.
There are a total of 35,220 poll centres and the ansar and VDP proposed to deploy a total of4,22,640 personnel.
Forkan told The Daily Star, "The home ministry did not agree with our proposal, so we will carry out our duties as usual."
"We are run by public money. That's why we proposed to control five percent of the total polling centres to help the government."
Former adviser to a care-taker government SM Shahjahan also a former
inspector general of police, however, told The Daily Star, "I don't know whether there is anything positive in the proposal. It is quite negative to make such an unprecedented proposal suddenly without consulting other agencies concerned."
"It's not possible to start a new system unless it's agreeable to others, because that could create anarchy", he said adding, "Exercise of power should not be the goal, rather the goal should be to carry out the duties responsibly."
The army's deployment on poll security duties this year however is a bit different than its deployment in earlier elections. The army concluded its street patrols last night, and will remain standby as a striking force at some nodal points today during the election to move into action if called in by returning officers.
In 2001 election, the army patrols were on before, during and after the election day.