Decision to deploy army in a couple of days: EC

The Election Commission thinks the situation does not yet warrant army deployment for the upcoming city corporations' elections, although different quarters demanded such security arrangement.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed came up with the EC decision Sunday, in the run-up to the April 28 elections to three major city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong.     
The CEC, however, said the final decision in this regard will be taken within a day or two.
"The situation for army deployment in the city corporation polls is yet to come. However, we (the EC) will take the final decision within next one or two days," he told journalists.
He briefed to the media after a meeting with the heads of law-enforcing agencies in the conference room of the National Economic Council (NEC) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city.
The meeting did a stocktaking of the security situation and army deployment, now that electioneering is on steam at a high pitch in the cities against a rough political backdrop in the country.
"If anybody uses muscle power in the polling booths, then they will be resisted with double power," the EC chief forewarned-apparently to allay apprehensions raised by candidates backed by opposition parties.  
"We came to knew about the whole situation from the law-enforcing agencies. They informed us that the situation is quite well right now. Nevertheless, we will take the decision relating to army deployment within the next one or two days," Mr Ahmed said.
Election Commissioners, the Inspector-General of Police, the Principal Staff Officer of Army, officials of the Special Branch of Police, and Border Guard Bangladesh,  the Director-General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) representative, the Director-General of Ansar and VDP, the EC secretary, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) commissioner, and returning and assistant returning officers were among others present.      
Voting for elections to Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) is slated for April 28.
The meeting discussed ways of controlling law and order during the elections, dos for ensuring pre-election peaceful environment, any tyranny of mastans (hoodlums) and extortionists, transporting election materials and keeping those secure, and action plans for ensuring security at the polling booths.
The CEC said the EC strictly asked the ministry of home affairs and law-enforcing agencies to take stern action against any irregularity during the elections.
Asked whether the election campaigns by the Prime Minister's special envoy and chairman of Jatiya Party HM Ershad and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia violate the election code of conduct, the CEC said: "The code of conduct written in Bangla says any minister, cabinet or in equivalent status, will come under its purview."     
Meanwhile, Additional Director-General (ADG) of the RAB Col Ziaul Ahsan said there was no need to deploy army for policing the city elections as the law-and-order situation in the country is "normal".
"I am also a member of army. The whole situation will be under control if petrol-bomb attackers are checked.  People fear army in name but fear RAB for their act," the elite-force official told the journalists after meeting with the CEC.
He left the meeting before it was over as he had to rush to Chittagong for an urgent piece of business.     
During his earlier exchange-of-views meetings with the mayoral and councillor candidates of DSCC and DNCC on April 13 at the Agriculturists Institute at Khamarabari in the city, the CEC had told the contestants that decision on army deployment in the polls would be taken on April 19 during a meeting with the law-enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, the EC has permitted 3,704 local and international observers for monitoring the upcoming DSCC, DNCC and CCC elections.
A total of 1,330 observers of 15 observation groups will watch over the polls and election environment in DNCC domain while 1,445 from 17 groups in DSCC and 896 observes from seven groups in CCC area.   
Besides, 18 observers of Democracy International while 10 for the International Human Rights Commission and five for Japan embassy will also observe the non-political polls bearing high political import.
"They (observers) were appointed as per the rules and relevant laws of the EC. The appointed observers have been asked to collect their identity cards and car stickers from the public relations section of the EC," said the EC in a letter sent to the observers Sunday.
"Each of the observation groups could form a team of five members to monitor the elections. But no observers could stay in the polling booths or voting centres. He/ she could enter the polling booth with the permission from the presiding officer concerned," the letter reads.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com