EC seeks army for four days

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday asked the government to deploy army for four days from April 26 to work alongside regular law-enforcement agencies during the city polls.

The EC Secretariat last evening sent a letter to the Armed Forces Division, a wing under the Prime Minister's Office, to that end.

"We have requested them to deploy a battalion of military personnel under each city corporation jurisdiction," Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam of the EC Secretariat told The Daily Star.

A battalion consists of over 700 members of the armed forces.

The armed forces members would discharge duties as "striking force" and "reserved force" to be deployed outside the polling stations, an election commissioner said.Elections to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations are scheduled for April 28.

"Regular law-enforcement agencies have assured us to provide sufficient forces to maintain law and order. There was no necessity to deploy army during the polls. Nevertheless, we have taken the decision to give the voters mental relief," said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.

The announcement came at a press briefing at the media centre of the EC Secretariat in the capital last evening.

Prior to this announcement, a BNP delegation met the CEC and demanded bestowing magistracy power on the military officers to be deployed during polls.

"If the army is not given magistracy power, the main objective of deploying them will not be fulfilled," said BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, who led the three-member delegation.

Earlier in the day, Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz told reporters that army would not be given magistracy power.

The CEC said they would increase the number of executive magistrates two days before the polls to check any violation of code of conduct or other sorts of illegal activities.

Currently, 12 executive magistrates have been working at the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

The EC on April 19 sat with senior officials of the intelligence and law-enforcement agencies to discuss the issue of army deployment.

At that meeting, officials of both the agencies argued that there was no necessity to deploy army as regular law-enforcement agencies were enough to maintain the law and order.

The CEC, however, told the reporters they would not take any risk and were ready to take every necessary measure to hold the election in a free and fair manner.

In the last two days, the CEC held a series of meetings with four other election commissioners to discuss the issue and came up with the decision yesterday afternoon.

BNP TEAM MEETS EC

Meanwhile, the BNP claimed that the atmosphere conducive to hold free and fair city corporation elections had been destroyed following attacks on Khaleda Zia's motorcade by the AL activists.

"We don't think a congenial atmosphere is prevailing. We cannot expect a fair election, if such activities continue," Moudud Ahmed said after a meeting with the CEC yesterday.

A three-member delegation, headed by Moudud, met the CEC at the latter's office and placed a 12-point recommendations for holding free and fair city polls.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Moudud said, "We have requested the CEC to take necessary steps so that our candidates, who are accused in cases, do not face police harassment at least for the next seven days, and can conduct election campaign."

"Officers-in-charge of many police stations in Dhaka hail from a particular district and region. We have recommended transferring them during the polls," he said.

The delegation also demanded the EC prepare a list of vulnerable polling stations after consultation with all candidates.

Their other demands include dropping of the names of officials, who had political affiliation in the past, from the list of presiding officers and polling officers, and displaying the identity cards of all on-duty law enforcers.

In response to their demand, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said they had asked police to investigate the incident of attack on Khaleda Zia.

The commission will take necessary steps after submission of the investigation report, he added.

BNP-backed mayoral aspirant Tabith Awal yesterday alleged that supporters of AL-backed candidate Annisul Huq and pro-ruling party activists attacked Khaleda Zia while she was campaigning for him at Karwan Bazar.

He appealed to the EC to take necessary measures to prevent recurrence of such event.