Bangladesh police deploy to guard 'risky' polling centres

Tens of thousands of troops are being deployed to back up police guarding Bangladesh's elections on Thursday, the first since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN)Bangladesh's police chief said Tuesday that more than 150,000 officers will be deployed for this week's elections, warning that more than half of polling stations were flagged as vulnerable to violence.Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period from December 11 to February 9.More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday's vote -- the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024."We are 1,000 percent confident about doing our part," Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka.The country of 170 million has remained in political turmoil since the uprising against Hasina, when police carried out a deadly crackdown during her failed bid to cling to power.Alam said police had assessed that "more than 24,000 polling centres have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky" for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing -- more than half of the 42,000 centres nationwide."The location of some centres is very remote, and there is intense competition, and hostility among candidates and their supporters," he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered."In high-risk and moderately risky centres, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time."Rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killed and more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025.Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) raised concerns over the law-and-order situation, accusing parties of forming "mobs" and setting up roadblocks.Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained."It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police," he said. "Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered -- in fact, for the last 150 years, our predecessors mostly beat people."sa/pjm/mtp