60,000 army personnel to be deployed in elections: Press Secretary

60,000 army personnel will be deployed as a striking force to control the law and order situation during the elections, said Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to the chief advisor. He gave this information at a briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Monday (July 28). The chief advisor held a second round of meetings with various stakeholders on the occasion of the elections, where detailed discussions were held on law and order, intelligence surveillance, and information flow.

In the briefing, Shafiqul Alam said that the army has informed that about 60,000 troops will be on election duty. They will be on duty in the field from August 5 and will also have the power of magistracy. He expressed hope that the army will play a strong and impartial role during the elections and will play an important role as a striking force to control the law and order situation.

In response to a question, the Press Secretary said that instructions have been given to further strengthen coordination between intelligence agencies so that there is no intelligence weakness in the elections. Those concerned have been asked to be aware so that intelligence activities are more effective.

Regarding the preparation of the police force, he said that the Inspector General of Police (IG) said in the meeting that about 150,000 police members will be provided election-focused training in September, October and November. Misleading information and false propaganda surrounding the elections have already spread on social media and may increase further.

In this context, the government is considering forming a National Information Center, where such misinformation will be identified and prevented. The Press Secretary said that a detailed discussion was held in the meeting on this matter.