Army deployment from Dec 29 for election security

Army is set to be deployed for a 13-day period surrounding the Jan 7 general elections to help maintain security across Bangladesh.

Troops will be on duty from Dec 29 to Jan 10, according to a circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

With over 42,000 polling stations catering to more than 111 million voters in this election, authorities plan to deploy 15-17 security personnel at each station.

They will work in tandem with local civil administration, serving as mobile teams and striking forces during their deployment, according to Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath of the Election Commission.

Security personnel, including Ansar and VDP members, assigned to polling stations will be on duty for a total of five days -- three days before and two days after the vote.

During the 11th parliamentary elections on Dec 30, 2018, army was deployed to provide security 10 days before and after election day, from Dec 24 to Jan 2.