In the previous elections, the field level officers committed irregularities on the instructions of the senior police officers. For this they received cash. Some police officials gave this information in a meeting with the Electoral Reform Commission. This is known from the source of the meeting.
Police officials, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and at least 30 high-level officials from the field level of Ansar and VDP participated in this meeting held at Jatiya Sangsad Bhawan yesterday. The head of the Electoral System Reform Commission presided over this meeting with law enforcement forces. Badiul Alam Majumdar. In the meeting, law enforcement agencies recommended holding elections under a caretaker government and some of them recommended local government elections before the National Assembly.
When asked about the meeting, Badiul Alam Majumdar told Ajker newspaper that the reform commission had a meeting with the senior officers of law enforcement and those who are still working in the field. Some have openly admitted that they themselves were used during the elections. They also said that money was transacted during the election. He said, in the meeting, the members of the law and order forces said that for the sake of the country, for the sake of future generations, they do not want to repeat the irregularities of the past. At the same time, they expressed their conviction that the blood of the martyrs should not go in vain in the movement of students.
According to sources, in the meeting, some police officers informed about the payment of huge amount of cash in the last election. When the commission asked to know the identity of the person who gave the money, they said that it could not be identified as the money was paid. They worked under the pressure of higher officials. They had no choice. Because, if the superiors were not listened to, various measures including transfer would have been taken against them in the post-election period. In the meeting, the field level officials demanded their security during the post-election period. It was informed in the meeting that policemen have to give protocol to MPs all the time, for this they cannot work properly.
According to sources, the opinion came in the meeting in favor of appointing returning and assistant returning officers from the Election Commission's own manpower instead of giving the responsibility of the election to outsiders. Because the government has more influence on those who come from outside. According to their word, the members of the law and order forces have to work.
However, in the meeting with the Reform Commission on December 9, the officers who served as Returning and Assistant Returning Officers in the past three (10th, 11th, 12th) parliamentary elections said that the law enforcement officers did not listen to them in those three parliamentary elections. Their stake has been moved from another place. District Commissioners (DCs) are returning officers and Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) are assistant returning officers in parliamentary elections.
Sources said, in the meeting, the police said that the number of police in the polling stations is less and the number of Ansar is more. Therefore, it is difficult for one or two policemen to prevent the center's irregularities.
In the meeting, it was informed by law and order forces that if the political will i.e. the government that is in charge during the election, they want to organize free and fair elections, then 70 percent of the elections will be fair. The remaining 30 percent is a matter of mechanism. OCs play a major role in elections. They know in advance who will win and work for the winner. In the meeting, the issue of sealing the ballot papers at night in the 2018 elections was also raised.
The meeting recommended identification of voters with fingerprints before entering polling stations, use of CC cameras in polling stations and opening up of electoral duties to the media to prevent fraudulent voting by law enforcement agencies.
It is recommended that entertainment allowance be made equal for all members of the law enforcement agencies during their electoral duty. When the Commission asked why the allowance should be given, the law-enforcement force said that if it is not given, no one should be given it. And if it is given, let everyone be equal by removing the discrimination.
The Electoral System Reform Commission was formed on October 3. The Commission has already held meetings with various stakeholders and issued notices seeking feedback from all. The commission has already submitted its internal report to the interim government.
The head of the commission said that the final report will be submitted by December 31.
