Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday directed the law enforcement agencies to prepare a security plan and a strategy for the coming election keeping in mind the violence centring the 2014 national election.

“From now on, we have to keep watch with caution so that mayhem like that of 2014 cannot be caused. We cannot fully ignore the worries,” he said at a meeting on election security strategy at the Nirbachan Bhaban.

Top representatives of the police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar & VDP, intelligences agencies, Armed Forces Division as well as 66 returning officers and the superintendents of police (SPs) of all districts joined the meeting.

The CEC asked the intelligence agencies to find out whether there was any conspiracy from a third party behind the electoral violence on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Murders and attacks cannot be considered as stray incidents at a time when there is spontaneous enthusiasm among the people for the election. Those influential people who do not want a normal political situation might be active,” he said.

Huda asked the election authorities, intelligence and law enforcement agencies and political parties to be careful about the matter.

Referring to the recent violence, the CEC said, “Two lives have been lost following the allocation of polls symbols. There were incidents of vandalism and obstruction... Is there any political reason for those incidents? Or, a conspiracy is being hatched to create a dangerous situation like that of 2014?”

He said the intelligences agencies should keep a careful watch on this issue.

Boycotted by the BNP-led alliance and many other opposition political parties, the 2014 parliamentary election was the bloodiest one in Bangladesh which saw at least 18 people being killed on the voting day (January 5).

Yesterday, the CEC instructed the law enforcers to exercise highest professionalism and neutrality and decide work strategies for all the agencies after coordinating with the local administrations.

He asked the law enforcement agencies and the field level administrations to recover illegal arms ahead of the December 30 election and get the BGB involved in drives against illegal arms as it has experience in this regard.

Huda also asked them to step up surveillance to ensure security of minority communities and female voters.

About electronic voting machines, the CEC said the commission has a target to use EVMs in all elections. “If the EVMs can be used properly, 80 percent of polls irregularities will be removed.”

At the closed-door session of the meeting, Election Commissioner Kabita Khanam expressed resentment at the returning officer of Dhaka over the arrest of a candidate, meeting sources said.

“What have you done all the year round?” she was quoted by a meeting source as saying.

The RO, however, didn't give any reply.

At least 10 SPs proposed increasing restriction on the media and not allowing media personnel to capture footage inside polling centres or to carry mobile phones.

They argued that journalists make various comments during live telecast of polling which provokes a reaction from the people, said the sources.

The police officials suggested carefully examining the professional backgrounds of journalists and political links of election observers before issuing cards to them.

In reply, Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam said there was a policy for journalists and they would follow it while discharging their duties.

Three cops suggested shutting down mobile banking service three days before the voting day, said the sources.

Two police officials from Chittagong division cautioned about Rohingya refugees, saying that they might be used in the election.

They also issued a note of caution to all about banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team and other militant groups.

Another police official proposed making only 2G mobile network available on the polling day.

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder said the biggest challenge for the commission was to keep the officials of the public administration and law enforcement agencies under its control.

He said it would be possible to create a level playing field for all candidates if the government acted neutrally with everyone.

The field level officials would have to play their role in this regard, Mahbub added.

DEPLOYMENT OF ARMY DEC 24

Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed yesterday said armed forces would be deployed in the country from December 24 as a “striking force”.

“The armed forces will carry out their duties till January 2,” he told The Daily Star last night.

Helal said the commission has a plan to deploy BGB from December 22 to January 2.

However, some EC officials had opined about deploying BGB on December 15 while some others suggested December 20.

The EC secretary said the decision on the deployment of BGB would be taken tomorrow.

BNP today alleged that the government is hatching a conspiracy to create communal division in the country in a bid to catch fish in troubled water ahead of the upcoming general election slated to be held at the end of December.

“Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader recently said that a communal plot is being hatched in the name of national unity and the situation will be horrible if BNP comes to power. It is nothing but a plot to create a communal division,” BNP spokesperson Rizvi Ahmed said.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office in Dhaka, Rizvi, also senior joint secretary general of BNP, said minority groups become the worst victims of repression when Awami League comes to power.

Even their religious festivities come under attacks by the Awami League men, Rizvi alleged, citing several instances in this regard.

Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent comment that no one can halt the upcoming general election, Rizvi said the time of unseating of the government has already got momentum.

“Our movement for holding the next general election in a free, fair and inclusive manner and restoration of the destroyed democracy in the country will take a harsher turn if the government wants to ignore the demand of the mass people,” he warned.

Rizvi said over 400 leaders and activists of BNP were arrested from different parts of the country in the last two or three days when they were engaged in holding programmes on the occasion of the party’s 40th founding anniversary.

The government is suffering from a phobia of its immediate unseating and thus it has started a spree of arrests of the opposition party men by implicating them with politically motivated cases, the BNP leader added.

Alleging that BNP is facing bar to election campaigning, the party has sought security from police to conduct electioneering safely for the next 18 days.

BNP Vice Chairman Selima Rahman led a delegation to meet Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Patwary and sought assistance this afternoon.

Afterwards, Selima told reporters she requested the police chief to ensure security and safety of her party men during the run-up to elections on December 30.

“Our leaders are being arrested. Those who were on bail are also being arrested for old cases” Selima said. “Elsewhere, our leaders are attacked and their campaigns foiled.”

She said, the police chief listened to the complaints with attention and assured of security and safety of the campaigners in the future.

'CEC embarrassed due to helplessness'

BNP Vice Chairman Selima Rahman said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda is feeling embarrassed due to his helplessness.

"We think CEC is truly embarrassed because the EC cannot exercise its power," she said while briefing the journalists after submitting a letter on behalf of her party to the commission this afternoon.

"If CEC takes actions the election would be acceptable to all," she added.

In the letter, BNP sought EC's interference for stopping attack and harassment inflicted upon BNP activists even after the start of election campaign.

WHY CEC IS EMBARRASSED?

Earlier in the morning, CEC KM Nurul Huda said in a briefing that, he is embarrassed over yesterday's attack on BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's motorcade in Thakurgaon and a clash in Noakhali where a Jubo League leader was killed.

WHO ATTACKED FAKHRUL?

Mirza Fakhrul's motorcade came under attack, allegedly by AL men, in Thakurgaon's Danarhat village when he went to his hometown on December 11, a day after the Election Commission opened the field for Election Campaign.

At least 10 people were hurt and four vehicles were damaged in the attack, according to BNP leaders.

Meanwhile, local AL leaders denied such allegations while talking to our correspondent.

OTHER CLASHES

After the polls campaign officially began on December10, clashes broke out in several districts, including Noakhali.

A local Jubo League leader was killed in a clash between the “activists of Awami League and BNP” in Noakhali Sadar upazila when the “BNP men” attacked at a procession of AL activists on December 11.

In Faridpur, Yusuf Bepari died after he was hurt in a scuffle with a BNP supporter following a heated debate over the election.

Clashes were also reported from  Faridpur, Manikganj, Bogura, Chuadanga and Natore yesterday.

WHEN IS THE ELECTION?

The 11th general election will be held on December 30. It was deferred once by the Election Commission upon demands from the opposition political parties.