Staff Correspondent:

Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said there is “no scope for concern” regarding the security situation during the upcoming national election, assuring that over 7 lakh security members will be deployed for 9 days.

Speaking to journalists at Patuakhali Circuit House at 2 pm on Saturday, he announced that additional law-enforcement personnel will be deployed during election period.

“Security will be tightened for five days before polling, on election day itself, and for three days afterwards. The duration may be adjusted depending on the situation,” he said.

The adviser also confirmed that 30,000 army personnel are currently deployed, and this number will be increased to around 100,000 during the polls. Approximately 35,000 members of the Border Guard Bangladesh, 5,000 from the Navy, 4,000 from the Coast Guard, around 8,000 from RAB, and an estimated 550,000 members of the Ansar force will be on duty.

The Ansar force, he said, will play a major role in this year’s election management, with personnel to be equipped with firearms and body cameras.

On the recent change of government, he remarked, “The fall of the government happened because of the people’s spontaneous participation. You all witnessed how they fled the country–along with their relatives. This was not the doing of one or two individuals; it happened because the people wanted it.”

Following the briefing, the adviser visited Patuakhali Police Lines and the Coast Guard station before departing for Kuakata.