Staff Reporter :
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Monday urged the Executive Magistrates to remain alert so that no violence, murder or bloodshed could take place centering the forthcoming election.
The CEC said it while briefing the Executive Magistrates who will perform duty during the election Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.
“The polling day is a very important day. You have to perform duty carefully on the day. Sometimes you may have to face embarrassing or provocative situation, even you might be misguided. You have to face the entire situation with intelligence, skills and readiness,” he said.
“You have to understand which incident is true and which is false. You have to keep contact with presiding officers and other colleagues to get updates about the polling stations,” said the CEC.
The Election code of conduct includes the dos and don’ts for candidates, political parties and other associates during and after the election. It also includes the provision of penalties for violating it.
Usually opposing parties file complaints against each other over violations of the Code of Conduct. Sometimes the activists and supporters of influential candidates become desperate and defy the code of conduct. The executive magistrates can punish those violating the code once an accusation is proven.
The Executive Magistrates were briefed on how to handle such situation.
The magistrates should go for ‘action’ only after regarding the situation patiently when they confront confusion, said Nurul Huda, a former bureaucrat.
“You have to be patient in such situations and contact the centre, presiding officers without being confused. It’ll be easier for you to manage the situation if you maintain good communications. You should never lose patience,” he said.
The CEC urged the magistrates to oversee the situation so that no violence takes place during the election.
“We want a fair election and we want to gurad against violence and bloodshed taking place at the polling centres. You have a huge responsibility to ensure that,” he said.
The Election Commission briefed the Magistrates from Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions on Monday, the last day of a three-day briefing to Executive Magistrates.
