Armed forces to be deployed on Dec 29

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) in a notification on Friday announced a 13-day deployment of armed forces for election duty from December 29 to January 10.

The forces, including Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar and VDP, and Coast Guard will be deployed to maintain peace and order and assist the local civil administration in holding the 12th parliamentary election on January 7 in a free, fair, peaceful and neutral manner, the notification reads.

The circular, signed by Public Security Division Senior Secretary Md Mostafizur Rahman, has stated that 15-17 members of the law enforcement agencies will be engaged to ensure the security of each polling centre.

Law enforcers and armed forces will operate in two key roles: "mobile teams" patrolling areas and "striking forces" for rapid response. Ansar battalions will support the mobile teams alongside the police.

The circular has specified that Ansar-VDP members will secure polling stations for a five-day period.

For personnel deployment, the circular has outlined a maximum of 15-16 officers (police, Ansar, village police) for general polling stations in different zones (metropolitan, rural, hilly/remote), and 16-17 for important polling stations.

However, returning officers retain the authority to adjust these numbers as needed.