More Than One-Third of Polling Centres Deemed Risky Ahead of Bangladesh’s 13th National Election

Melbourne, January 7: With just 37 days to go before Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election, law enforcement agencies have moved to the highest level of alert, marking more than one-third of the country’s polling centres as risky and rolling out a massive security operation to ensure a peaceful vote.

Police Headquarters said 17,556 of the country’s 42,761 polling centres have been classified as “risky”, while another 8,746 have been labelled “highly risky”. To maintain law and order, a total of 176,000 police personnel will be deployed nationwide.

Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam has instructed all field-level officers to treat the election as their top priority and to take immediate and strict legal action against any disorder. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali described the next 37 days as “extremely important and challenging,” saying that keeping the situation under control would be key to holding a fair election.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the Election Commission is fully prepared for the risks identified and that security deployments will be increased further if needed. Police Additional Inspector General (Crime and Operations) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said visible policing has been stepped up to build public confidence, with regular operations underway against anyone attempting to sabotage the polls. He added that checkpoints have been expanded, illegal firearms recovery drives are ongoing, and Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 is continuing across the country.

Polling centres have been divided into three categories based on past election violence, intelligence inputs, infrastructure, distance from police stations, and local power dynamics. Of all centres, 8,746 are highly risky, 16,359 risky, and 17,359 general. Risky and highly risky centres will have heavier deployments, including armed special police teams from the start of voting through to the completion of counting. Officers at these centres will wear body cameras to deter booth capture, ballot stuffing, and violence.

Security forces including the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, navy and Ansar will be deployed at sensitive locations. To ensure neutrality, field officers are receiving special training on the election code of conduct and election laws, and many senior police officials, including superintendents of police and officers-in-charge, have already been transferred.

Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas have the highest concentration of risky centres. In Dhaka Metropolitan Police jurisdiction, 695 centres are highly risky and 1,133 risky; in Chattogram Metropolitan, 312 of 607 centres are highly risky. Similar patterns are seen across Gazipur, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions.

Despite the heightened risks, police say all preparations are in place to conduct a free, fair and peaceful election, with intensified intelligence surveillance and enhanced protection for candidates considered to be at risk.