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Army Deployment

Up to 12 days?

EC decides today; troops sent to some dists for winter exercise

Pankaj Karmakar
The Election Commission wants army deployment for 10-12 days at the January 5 parliamentary election.
The armed forces personnel will assist the regular law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order during the polls.
"The time and number of army personnel to be deployed will be decided at a meeting on the polls-time law and order tomorrow [today]," Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad told reporters at the EC secretariat yesterday.
Commission sources said the EC might ask for army deployment from
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December 26. The army will return to barracks one or two days after the polling day.
Meanwhile, army personnel reached several district towns yesterday as part of their winter exercises.
An army contingent camped at the district stadium yesterday, reports our Satkhira correspondent.
The army has come here for winter exercises, Satkhira deputy commissioner Anwar Hossain Hawladertold newsmen.
Troops arrived in Laxmipur town yesterday afternoon and camped at Mandari Bazar area under Sadar upazila. An officer of the army team said they went there for winter exercises.
Asked, CEC Rakibuddin said winter exercises of armed forces members have already started. That is why the army were out in many places. But it does not have any relation with their election duties.
The principal staff officer of the Armed forces Division, top level officials of security and intelligence agencies and returning offi-
cers from across the county will attend the meeting at the EC secretariat today, which will be chaired by the CEC.
The EC has also drawn up a five-day security plan for the polling centres which too will be finalised at the meeting at the National Economic Council (NEC) auditorium at 3:00pm today.
In the last parliamentary polls in 2008, the EC took special security measures for three days for polling centres in the plains, four days for hilly and remote areas and the army was deployed for 12 days.
According to the security plans for the 10th parliamentary election, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel will jointly act as mobile and striking forces.
Besides, Rab and armed police will be deployed from January 1 to 7 across the country as part of special security measures.
Teams comprised of 17 members from the police, Ansar and Village Defence Party
(VDP) will be deployed in "general" polling centres and 18-strong teams in "important" centres in the metropolitan areas.
At centres outside the metropolitan areas, a 15-member team of law enforcers will be deployed at each 'general' and 16 'important' polling centre.
As for the hilly and remote areas, a 17-member team will be deployed in each 'general' polling centre whereas a 19-strong team will work in each 'important' centre.
The commission will also ask the Armed forces Division to keep some helicopters ready during the polls so that election officials can use them in case of emergencies.
Besides, a law and order coordination cell and an election monitoring cell will be set up at the EC secretariat and at the returning officers' offices from January 1 to coordinate and monitor the activities of law enforcement agencies.
Elections will be held in 146 constituencies out of 300 on January 5 as a total of 154 candidates are set to be elected uncontested.