Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal today hinted that the Election Commission might change its decision on banning journalists using motorcycles during elections.

On April 12, the EC issued a guideline for media outlets that banned journalists using motorcycles when they are covering the polls.

After a meeting with British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke at the Nirbachan Bhaban, Habibul told reporters that they discussed about the media guidelines.

The UK envoy wanted to know whether media personnel needed permission to enter a polling station.

"We said that there is no permission required," said Habibul.

The commission banned motorcycles for a reason ... , the CEC said.

He further said journalists claim that it would be difficult for them to cover election activities without motorcycles, which is also justified.

"That's why we said we've put it [new guideline] under review. We're going to change that appropriately," he added.

Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana said the Dhaka-17 by-election is being held peacefully but with low voter turnout.

Briefing reporters around 12.30pm after monitoring the polling through CCTV cameras, Rashida also said actions would be taken against the presiding officer of the polling centre at Dhaka Cantonment Board Adarsha Bidyanikaton, who barred journalists from entering the station.

She said the low turnout may be because the lawmaker who will be elected will have a short term, as the national election is slated for late this year or early next year.

"Some parts of the constituency are elite areas; they might have less interest. We expect the turnout to increase," Rashida said.

There is a human cost to any political expediency, and right now, that cost is getting increasingly higher amid the ongoing crackdown on BNP leaders and activists. A street programme organised by the families of detained leaders and activists of the party has brought to light the human side of these arrests, with children, spouses, and parents speaking of anguish and uncertainty that have since plagued their households. Their stories—with accounts of police raids, arbitrary arrests, or forced hiding in fear of arrests, alleged torture in custody, denial of basic visitation rights to the detainees—deserve a critical reflection.

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Electoral lip service cannot hide ugly truths

The fact is, what these families want—answers, justice, and the restoration of normalcy in their lives—will resonate with a lot of others who have been similarly pulled into the political whirlpool. BNP claims that some 17,710 leaders and activists have been arrested in 458 cases across the country since its October 28 rally in Dhaka, while an estimate by Prothom Alo puts the number of arrestees at 9,777. The numbers may be debatable, but there is no denying the arbitrary arrests, politically motivated prosecution, indefinite pre-trial detention, and rushed trials/convictions that we have witnessed so far. BNP's central office in Nayapaltan remains locked for over a month now. As per a Prothom Alo report, 56 of its district offices also remain closed; four are marginally open and the remaining four have no offices. Local activists say they are not visiting party offices fearing arrests.

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As things stand, Bangladesh election is all but doomed

The manner in which a big political party like BNP is being incapacitated, abusing the legal system, is truly alarming. But the plight of those facing arrests or trial, as well as their families, is no less significant. The government is refusing to back down from the ongoing measures, saying "criminals" must face justice. But are the alleged transgressions of the arrested worthy of detainment without due process or the right to a fair trial? Can their families be harassed, threatened and left in prolonged uncertainty? While the imperative of justice is something that we wholeheartedly stand behind, what the government has so far done in the name of justice—while at the same time trying to fill the void left by opposition leaders with made-up rivals of its own choice—seem to lay bare its true intentions: eliminating any real competition in the election. Such extreme measures will have far-reaching consequences for the nation.

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Right to fair trials extends to BNP, too

We must also think: what sort of an image are we creating for ourselves and our legal system by using such tactics? What the families of BNP's arrested leaders and activists are seeking is well within their rights as citizens of this country. Every citizen, regardless of their political affiliation, deserves a fair trial as well as protections from any abuse of power and authority.