Staff Reporter :Chief Election Commissioner [CEC] Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed has said the army will act as a reserve force staying inside the cantonment during elections to the three city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong.The CEC made the comment on Thursday when giving explanation over the deployment of the army in the wake of huge controversy about election commission’s contradictory statements. “The army will stay in the cantonment. The cantonment is situated in the centre of capital city Dhaka. It will be strategically easy for them [army] to mobilize its battalions to south and north city parts effectively. So, the army has been asked to stay in the cantonment,” the CEC said. Elaborating the assigned duty of army, the CEC further said, “Although the army will stay in the cantonment as a reserve force, they will response instantly as a striking force whenever the returning officers make a call. Three battalions of army will be in the fields, in Dhaka and Chittagong.” The CEC, however, did not make any comment about the deployment of army in Chittagong. The Chittagong Cantonment is far away from the city.Earlier on Tuesday, the CEC announced to deploy army for four days in three city corporation elections. In this regard, the Election Commission had issued directives to Armed Forces Division for deploying army. But the decision was changed just within twenty four hours and the army was asked to stay inside the cantonment. According to a revised letter of the Election Commission sent to the Armed Forces Division on Wednesday, the army will act as a striking force coming out from the cantonment only at the request of returning officers. The letter says one battalion of the army will perform election duty in each city corporation area for four days from April 26 to 29, EC source confirmed. “They (the army) will actually stay inside the cantonment as reserve a force and will act as striking a force to face the situation following the request of returning officers.”
