Mohammad Jamil Khan

Uncertainty has arisen over the withdrawal of security support -- including the deployment of gunmen, and in some cases, house guards -- provided to at least 70 politicians and politically important individuals ahead of the 13th parliamentary election.

Home Minister orders strict chain of command, zero tolerance for corruption

Intense lobbying has gripped the bureaucracy and police, with officials scrambling for coveted postings as the contours of a new BNP-led government begin to take shape.

Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman described the just-concluded polls as an “acceptable, fair election”, saying the outcome was widely accepted and made possible by soldiers’ “responsibility and efficiency”.

Law enforcement agencies have put in place a tight security arrangement across the country for the national election and referendum today, deploying nearly 10 lakh personnel to ensure a free, fair, and uninterrupted vote.

With the much-awaited national election set to take place tomorrow, looted firearms yet to be recovered and thousands of licensed weapons yet to be deposited may pose security challenges, experts and law enforcers said.

As a single constituency, Brahmanbaria-3 (Sadar) has the highest number of vulnerable polling centres in the 13th parliamentary election, with 121 centres classified as “highly risky”, according to police assessments.

Around 5:00am on January 11, a team of Rapid Action Battalion conducted a drive at a house in Raghunathpur in Benapole and recovered two firearms, six rounds of bullets and four magazines.

Police have identified 13 constituencies across nine districts as “high risk” ahead of the February 12 national election, after analysing political violence since the announcement of the polls schedule on December 11.

Violence has flared since campaigning began for the 13th national election on January 22, and police say arrests and cases alone will not be enough unless rival groups show restraint.

5 dead and nearly 1,000 injured since Oct last year, rights group says

As major political parties prepare their election manifestos, law enforcement experts and rights activists urge them to make law and order a top priority, keep police free from political interference, and end the partisan use of the force.

With the 13th national election and referendum approaching, the interim government has placed the most vulnerable polling centres under heightened security, tightened controls on firearms and ordered law enforcers to take swift legal action against anyone attempting to disrupt the vote.

Intelligence-led policing, body cameras and neutrality stressed

Law enforcers have started providing security to top political leaders and election officials ahead of the national election after assessing their security risks or threats.

With a little over a month left before the 13th general election, political leaders and activists are increasingly falling victim to targeted killings.

Despite the launch of Operation Devil Hunt, continued killings and law enforcement’s failure to arrest escaped criminals and recover looted weapons are raising serious concerns ahead of the national election.

With the national elections approaching, the interim government has warned political parties about possible infiltration by agents of fascist forces and saboteurs posing as allies.

Draft ordinance discussed to ensure protection of July Uprising leaders

Decision made during core committee meeting on law and order