Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali has said that although the number of political programmes has recently increased slightly, most of them are based on social media.
“Videos of flash processions are being circulated online, but in reality, there is nothing significant. There is no reason to panic,” he told reporters.
He made the remarks while responding to journalists’ questions after attending a seminar on road safety jointly organised by the DMP and JICA at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka on Thursday (October 23).
The DMP commissioner said that there has been no major participatory election in the last 17 years. As a result, nearly half of the 200,000 members currently serving in the police force were recruited during this period — many of whom have never voted or experienced an election firsthand.
“Training activities are underway across the country ahead of the upcoming national election. The police are preparing to perform their duties responsibly,” he said.
Sajjat Ali added, “Many of our members do not even know how to perform election duties. That’s why we are conducting training programmes nationwide, including within the DMP. I always tell my officers to maintain 100 percent neutrality while performing election duties.”
Expressing hope for a neutral and credible electoral environment, the DMP commissioner said that since the ruling party, which has been in power for a long time, will not participate this time, there are concerns it may try to create unrest.
Referring indirectly to the Awami League, he said, “One party has been banned. They are attempting acts of sabotage and crude bomb explosions. However, we remain on high alert to prevent any anti-state activities.”
The DMP commissioner expressed optimism that a favorable electoral environment would prevail across the country by late November.
“Everyone is now focused on the election. People want to vote. It’s unfortunate that many citizens aged between 35 and 40 have never voted in their lives,” he said.
Speaking about rallies and gatherings, Sajjat Ali reiterated that while the number of political programmes has increased slightly in recent times, most are social media-based.
“In many cases, people arrive by night coaches, display banners briefly, record videos, and post them on Facebook. It creates the impression of a big rally, but in reality, it’s not,” the DMP commissioner said.
He added, “We cannot deny the power of social media, but there is no reason to be alarmed.”
Expressing gratitude to the Election Commission, Sajjat Ali said, “Our capacity is sufficient to handle any kind of situation.”