AN English daily on Wednesday reported that the Election Commission (EC) is considering to seek intervention of the Home Ministry for withdrawal of some police officers for their ‘unlawful activities’ in their respective areas blocking free and fair election. Since the police administration is defying the EC’s order, it is the fresh move to see that police is implementing the EC’s order on instruction from the Home Ministry. The EC’s complaints flashed out as reports of involvement of local police officers, after similar allegations of involvement of ministers and MPs in election campaign for ruling party mayoral candidates or their rivals as the local grouping works, is becoming acrimonious and bloody. It appears that in absence of strong presence of opposition mayoral candidates in the campaigns who are keeping out of scene in most places for safety, fights are intensifying within the ruling party candidates and many police officers having strong ruling party backing have understandable difficulties to help the Election Commission.The report quoted one of the Election Commissioners as describing how local police officers are taking part in election activities violating the election code of conduct and their own neutrality rendering the EC helpless to hold a free election scheduled for December 30. His complaint that the police administration is not withdrawing some officers-in-charge (OCs) is equivalent to insubordination. But the OCs of Kulaura police station in Moulovi Bazar district, Matlab north in Chandpur and Kalkini in Madaripur district have been left undisturbed. The ECs made a similar plea to the Prime Minister only a week ago to restraint some ministers and MPs from intervening in election campaigns making the situation volatile. This time it is going to seek intervention of the Home Ministry demanding compliance of EC’s order by police. The EC has more complaints against the OCs at some other places as taking part in election activities and they are being investigated. In places like Narayanganj, Lakshmipur, Feni, Jamalpur and Barguna they are not taking action against people involved in attacks on rival candidates and their electioneering campaigns. In our view this election is going to serve no public purpose but please see how best to avoid violence and loss of lives.
