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Protect Hindus from violence

EC asks district admin, cops to beef up security during upazila polls

Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday gave DCs and SPs of all districts a special direction to beef up security measures for minority communities during upazila parishad polls.
The EC came up with the directive during a meeting with the deputy commissioners (DCs) and superintendents of police (SPs) at the National Economic Council auditorium in the capital.
"We have directed them to ensure security to all during the elections. We have also specially directed them to strengthen security for minority com-munities," Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad told reporters after the meeting.
Asked whether the field level officials fear election violence, he said, "They [DCs and SPs] are not apprehending any violence during the polls. We will monitor the situation closely."
Expressing satisfaction on the overall election atmosphere, he said the polls will be held in a festive mood and it will be well-contested.
Besides, the EC has directed the DCs and SPs to maintain close links with the intelligence agencies to get advance information about the law and order situation and take necessary
measures accordingly.
Police will launch special drives to arrest the wanted criminals, said the meeting sources.
Necessary measures will be taken so that no one or nothing can enter the country through illegal border crossing, and election material will be transported under police escort.
The armed forces personnel will remain deployed for election duties for five days from two days before the voting date. Besides, the Coast Guard, BGB and Armed Police Battalion will act as strike forces, the sources added.
BOUNDARY DEMARCATION
The EC has recently sent a letter to the Local Government Division and requested it to immediately complete the boundary demarcations of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) areas and some upazilas adjacent to Rangpur, Comilla, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations, said EC sources.
The elections to DCC have remained pending for the last few years due to the complexity over boundary demarcation.
Although the EC did not officially say anything about the letter, some EC officials, preferring anonymity, said the commission was probably thinking about holding the DCC elections.
The last election to undivided DCC
was held in 2002 and its tenure ended in 2007. Later, the EC moved to hold the election for several times, but could not due to different kinds of complexities, including the boundary demarcation.
Besides, the upazila parishad elections to some upazilas adjacent to Rangpur, Comilla, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations could not be held due to the complexity over boundary demarcation.
FOURTH PHASE
The EC is likely to announce today the schedule for elections to around 90 upazila parishads in the fourth phase.
Although the EC earlier planned to hold the fourth phase of the polling on March 25, the date of voting might be fixed one to two days ahead of the planned date, said EC sources.
Out of 487 upazila parishads, elections to 98 upazilas will be held on February 19 in the first phase, 117 on February 27 in the second phase and 83 on March 15 in the third phase.
The EC plans to complete elections to all the upazila parishads by March 31, said EC sources.
Besides, the EC may announce the schedule for by-election to the Tangail-8 parliamentary constituency as the seat fell vacant after the death of lawmaker Shawkat Momen Shajahan last month.