The chief adviser鈥檚 press wing on Monday said that about 1.5 lakh police officials would undergo special training on election duties ahead of the next parliamentary polls, expected to be held in mid-February next year.
Chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam, after a high-level meeting chaired by chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his official residence Jamuna in Dhaka on the day, said that the training would begin in September.
Referring to what the inspector general of police told the meeting, he said that the training would continue through October and November to ensure security preparedness across the country.
Home adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, after a meeting of the Core Committee on law and order at the Secretariat in Dhaka on the day, however, told reporters that police training would begin in August and continue until the election.
In his briefing after the high-level meeting chaired by the chief adviser, Shafiqul said that around 60,000 army personnel would be deployed as the striking forces during the election.
He said that the interim government was ramping up security preparations and coordination among key law enforcement agencies regarding the election.
Shafiqul said that the meeting took several crucial decisions regarding law enforcement, countering misinformation and administrative readiness.
With disinformation on the rise ahead of the election, the government was planning to establish a National Information Center, he added.
鈥楾he center will rapidly identify and counter disinformation, ensuring accurate updates reach the public in real-time,鈥� Shafiqul said.
A proposal for a media wing within the newly established national security command structure is under discussion, which would allow for regular press briefings and real-time information dissemination regarding the law and order situation, he said.
He issued a stern warning to YouTubers and non-traditional content creators who cover news events without following proper journalistic ethics.
Deputy press secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder added that law enforcement agencies had been directed to identify potential election-time 鈥榟otspots鈥�, areas that could see unrest, and submit situation reports to the central authority.
Based on these reports, special deployments would be made in vulnerable districts, he said.
The meeting also discussed administrative reshuffles, where possible, ahead of the polls.
Earlier in the day, the US charge d鈥� affaires, ad interim, in Dhaka, Tracey Ann Jacobson, met the chief adviser to discuss counter-terrorism, ongoing political dialogues under the National Consensus Commission, and tariff-related negotiations, said Shafiqul.
The government reiterated its 鈥榸ero tolerance鈥� policy toward terrorism, emphasising that national security remains a top priority during the election period, he said.
A Bangladeshi delegation is set to depart for Washington tonight to continue tariff negotiations, accompanied by a group of business leaders, he said.
Regarding the transfer of superintendents of police and officers-in-charge of police stations ahead of the election, home adviser Jahangir said, 鈥楽uch changes are part of a routine process.鈥�
He mentioned the government鈥檚 recent successes in curbing drug peddling and said that the carriers were being caught, but the masterminds remain in hiding.
鈥楢 major operation targeting these figures will be launched soon,鈥� he added.
