Municipal Election
1,200 magistrates to check irregularities
BGB in 102 municipalities, Coast Guard in six
UNB
Some 1,200 magistrates will be deployed in 233 municipalities across the country for four days ahead of the December-30 election to check the violation of the election code of conduct, reports UNB.
A total of 1197 magistrates -- 237 judicial magistrates and 960 executive magistrates -- will conduct mobile courts to punish polls code violation from December 28 to December 31. The Election Commission (EC) has taken the decision to deploy the magistrates two days before the Dec 30 polls.
Weve decided to deploy some 1,200 magistrates for four days. But, the period of their deployment may be extended on the basis of situation in the field, Election Commissioner Zabed Ali said.
The EC will take all possible measures necessary for arranging the municipal election in a fair manner, Zabed Ali said.
The EC also sent letters to the Public Administration Ministry and the Law Ministry last week seeking steps for posting the magistrates on the election duty for the four days, said Senior Assistant Secretary of the EC Secretariat Antara Ghosh.
Of the 1200 magistrates, 233 executive ones have already been deployed in the same number of municipalities after the deadline for withdrawal of candidature expired.
Theyre now conducting mobile courts to check the violation of election code in the municipalities, she said.
Besides, at least a judicial magistrate will be deployed in each 229 municipalities, while two judicial magistrates will be posted in each of four large municipalities, the official said. An executive magistrate will be kept in the field for every three wards.
Meanwhile, alongside the regular law enforcement agencies,a platoon of Border Guard Bangladesh will be deployed on election duty in 102 municipalities for four days.
The Home Ministry sent a draft notification over the deployment of law enforcers for election duty to the EC Secretariat yesterday for vetting ahead of the polls.
According to the draft notification, at least 233 mobile teams of RAB will remain on patrol, while 233 other teams comprising members of the police, the APBn and the Ansar will act as striking force for the four days. As many as 81 teams of Rab will also act as striking force in 81 municipalities.
Besides, a platoon of Coast Guard will be on election duty in each of six municipalities --Muladi, Mehendiganj, Patharghata, Ramgati, Hatia and Sandip- for the four days.
