Around 4,000 law enforcers will work for maintaining law and order during the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) election scheduled for Monday.
Of them, 950 members of police, 450 of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), 450 of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and 990 of Ansar will discharge election duties.
Meanwhile, members of BGB and RAB on Saturday started patrolling the city areas to ward off any tense situation, reports BSS.
“We have deployed 19 platoons of BGB since this morning to avert any sort of untoward incident and maintain peace in the metropolis,” said Lt Col Shamim Masud Al Iftekhar, Commanding Officer of 1 BGB Battalion. Of them, 15 platoons will render duties till July 31 and four platoons will be kept reserved for any special duty.
He said the BGB members have started patrolling different city areas to ensure overall security as the striking force.
Major Ashraful Islam, Deputy Commanding Officer of RAB-5, said more than 400 RAB members have started performing duties today (Saturday) and they will continue their duties till July 31.
Ifte Khayer Alam, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), said more than 3,000 policemen will remain in the election field for public security. Side by side with police, Ansar force will work for the election.
He said all the policemen were kept in highest alert so none can violate the election code of conduct. Foolproof security will be ensured in all the polling centres in the election.
“We have taken all sorts of security measures to make the election proper and successful,” asserted Alam.
He said the RMP has identified 114 centres out of total 138 as venerable. Various issues including area-based polling centre infrastructure, population, road communication and power supply were taken into consideration in determining the venerability.
Alam said additional security measures will be arranged for the risky centres. Besides, there will be adequate security measures in all centres through deployment of RAB, police, BGB and Ansar.
Meanwhile, restriction has been imposed on carrying firearms including the licensed ones and traffic movement here for the election.
A press release signed by Parvej Raihan, District Magistrate-in-Charge of Rajshahi, said the restriction has been imposed for holding the election in a peaceful manner ensuring overall security.
The release said possessing and carrying of all sorts of firearms has been banned from July 27 to August 3 in the city corporation area. However, the restriction will not be applicable for the law enforcers and other institutional security men.
Relating to the vehicular traffic the release said plying of taxicab, microbus, jeep, pickup van, car, bus, truck, tempo, baby-taxi, auto-rickshaw, easy-bike and all other mechanized vehicles will be restricted from July 29 midnight to July 30 midnight.
Besides, plying of motorbike will remain suspended from July 28 midnight till the morning of July 31.
However, vehicles to be used by officers and employees engaged in election duties and other law enforcers and other vehicles and ambulances engaged in emergency and utility services will remain outside the purview of the restriction.
The release said legal action will be taken against those violating the restriction, the release said.
