Law and order situation in Bangladesh remains peaceful: EC Secretary

Election Commission (EC) Secretary Md Jahangir Alam on Tuesday said the current law and order situation in the country remains peaceful.

He made the remarks while replying to a question from reporters after a meeting with the leaders of Sampriti Bangladesh on Tuesday (October 17).

At the meeting, the organisation demanded the EC to take steps so that the anti-liberation forces could not participate in the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections.

The leaders of the organisation also called for ensuring the safety of religious minorities.

When asked about the concerns of minorities regarding potential violence at the polls, the EC secretary responded that only those who have such fears can voice them.

"The commission would like to emphasise that, in its view, the law and order situation in Bangladesh is currently peaceful," he said.

The commission believes there has been no situation to worry about yet, the EC secretary said. "If any situation arises at a later time, the Election Commission will take steps according to the law."

At the meeting, leaders of the Sampriti Bangladesh presented four demands to the commission.

The written demands include taking measures to stop religion-based propaganda and the communal provocations incited by those propaganda, taking effective role to prevent anti-liberation forces from participating in the upcoming elections, ensuring the safety of religious minorities and general voters, and identifying areas at risk of minority persecution and taking adequate and necessary measures to prevent pre-election, election-time and post-election violence.                    

Regarding the demands, the commission assured them to take action on those proposals according to the law.

A 13-member delegation, including Sampriti Bangladesh President Pijush Bandyopadhyay, attended the meeting.

On behalf of the EC, some commissioners and senior officials including the EC secretary participated in the meeting.

"We have informed the Election Commission (EC) that the anti-liberation forces and the defeated forces of 1971 should not participate in the upcoming national elections," said Pijush Bandyopadhyay, president of Sampriti Bangladesh. At the same time, he called for ensuring the safety of religious minorities.

"We don't want to see a Black October in Bangladesh like it was in 2001; the horrors and atrocities that only remind us of 1971. We want to remove such atrocities from Bangladesh forever," he said. "We don't want to see those who opposed the liberation war in the government."