Election Commission (EC) has announced plans to make sweeping changes to the police administration ahead of the upcoming general election, in an effort to ensure a free, fair, and impartial poll.
The EC has warned that any police officer found to be neglecting their duty or showing favoritism towards any individual or party involved in the election will be immediately transferred.
The EC has directed the relevant ministries to submit a list of transfers for all UNOs and OCs within the next three days.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Mymensingh has been withdrawn and the Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj has been transferred to the Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh by the Ministry of Public Administration.
EC officials said that complaints have already been received against several OCs. Action is being taken against them.
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Md Ahsan Habib told Bangladesh Pratidin, "EC will sincerely take all kinds of steps to make the parliamentary elections free, fair and acceptable."
“Ahead of the polls, UNOs who have been in their current jobs for more than one year have been instructed to send proposals to the Ministry of Public Administration for transfer to other districts or to other constituencies in their own districts. Similarly, OCs who are serving more than six months at their current posts have also been asked to send proposals to the Public Safety Department for transfer. This proposal should be sent to the EC by December 5.”
Regarding the transfer of all UNOs and OCs of the country, Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said that the decision to transfer them has been taken on the basis of field-level information. Due to this transfer, there will not be any kind of chaos.
“The EC is taking measures for the security of all the candidates including the independent candidates nominated in the election.”
In response to the question that the government did not want the transfer of OCs and UNOs or did EC want them, he said that it was wanted by the EC. Our commissioners have visited different districts and regional levels of the country for the last one week, based on their findings, the Election Commission took this decision on November 30.
“The Commission felt that this transfer was necessary. Not all information is openly shared. This decision is based on the information that the election commissioners have received from the field, the information that has come from different candidates or from different quarters,” he added.
(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on December 3 and rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan)
