Dhaka, Jan 19 (V7N) — Law enforcement agencies across Bangladesh will deploy 428 drones and specialized dog squads to ensure security during the 13th National Parliament elections, Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced on Monday.

He made the announcement following a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Law and Order at the Home Ministry’s Secretariat.

To guarantee a free, fair, peaceful, and festive election, members of the armed forces will assist local civil administration under the ‘In Aid to Civil Power’ framework, alongside the Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and VDP, and the Coast Guard.

Lt. Gen. Chowdhury outlined a two-phase deployment plan. The first phase involves general security deployment, while the second phase — focused on voting — will see law enforcement on duty for seven days, from February 8 to 14. A law and order coordination cell comprising representatives from the Army, BGB, Coast Guard, RAB, Police, and Ansar VDP will oversee election security operations.

In total, 897,117 personnel will be deployed, including:

  • Army: 100,000

  • Navy: 5,000

  • Air Force: 3,730 (1,250 ground personnel)

  • Police: 149,443

  • Ansar & VDP: 576,314

  • BGB: 37,453

  • Coast Guard: 3,585

  • RAB: 7,700

  • Fire Service & Civil Defense: 13,390 (support)

The election will cover 42,761 polling stations, categorized as 8,780 crucial, 16,548 important, and 17,433 general. 25,000 body-worn cameras will be used at crucial polling stations, and CCTV cameras will be installed at all stations.

Regarding drone deployment, 418 drones will be operated in a coordinated manner: 200 by the Army, 16 by the Navy, 100 by the BGB, 50 by the Police, 20 by the Coast Guard, 16 by the RAB, and 16 by the Ansar VDP. Dog squads will also be deployed to provide security and protection at polling stations.

Lt. Gen. Chowdhury emphasized that law enforcement has been instructed to quickly apprehend and take legal action against any individuals attempting to disrupt the election. He assured that the interim government would strictly prevent any mischief or unlawful activity that could affect the electoral process.

END/SMA/AJ