Dhaka: The Election Commission Secretariat has drafted a proposal for deployment of the armed forces for nine days from December 24 to January 1 who will act as the striking forces in the 11th parliamentary elections.

The proposal will be placed at the EC’s meeting on election security measures to be held on Thursday morning with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in the chair, reports the UNB.

The meeting will take the final decision over the deployment of armed forces in the election slated for December 30.
Top representatives from police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and VDP, intelligences agencies and the Armed Forces Division as well as the 66 returning officers and the superintendents of police (SPs) of all the districts will join the meeting at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.

As per the proposal, Rab, Armed Police, BGB and Coast Guard members will be deployed for seven days from December 26 to January 1. They will act as mobile and striking forces in the election.

Prior to the deployment of the armed forces, a small advance team of the army will be sent to every district on December 15 for gathering information over communication, infrastructures and election situation, the proposal says.

After the deployment, the army team will stay in nodal points of all districts, upazilas and metropolitan areas across the country, it also said.

If returning officers seek their cooperation, the armed forces will perform duty in aid of law enforcement agencies in maintaining the law and order, it reads.

The meeting will finalise security measures for the 11th general election.