Members of Ansar and VDPcentres across the country with firearms during the next polls slated for December 30, according to sources.
This is the first time that Ansar and VDP have been entrusted with the responsibility.
A total of 80,000 Ansars of the rank of Platoon Commander (PC) and Assistant Platoon Commander (APC) will be deployed at the polling booths.
Already, 30,000 shotguns have been purchased and 50,000 rifles arranged from the Bangladesh Army and
the police to arm Ansar members, sources say.
A senior official of the Public Security Division of the home ministry said that around 482,388 members of Ansar will guard 40,000 polling centres during the election.
“Of them, only 80,000 Ansar members of the rank of PC and APC will be provided with shotguns and rifles to guard the polling booths,” he also said.
“A 12-member Ansar team would be deployed at each polling centre. Two of the members would carry firearms and the rest would carry sticks,” he added.
“Besides the Ansar members, 16,168 members of Battalion Ansar will be deployed to assist the police, RAB and BGB to maintain law and order during the polls,” the official noted.
Sources said that 482,388 of Ansar-VDP members have beenbeen trained for election duty. They are said to have already learnt the use of fir arms and become familiar with the ways to protect polling booths.
Sources say the Ansar and VDP authorities have purchased 30,000 12-bore shotguns and 30,00,000 rounds of shotgun ammunition from the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited (BMTF), a state-owned enterprise run by the Bangladesh Army.
The sources also say that dresses and motor vehicles for Ansar-VDP members have also been purchased.
There are about 16,000 Battalion Ansars, 600 Hill Ansars, 7,887 Hill VDP,
442 Specialised Ansars, 762 TDP (Town Defence Party), 56,23,000 VDP and 672 women members of Ansar in the force. The Bangladesh Ansar is a paramilitary auxiliary force that works to ensure internal security and law and order in the country.
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