BNP demands army deployment in city polls

BNP today called upon the Election Commission (EC) to deploy army to ensure security in the upcoming the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls.

The opposition party also called for reopening BNP's Nayapaltan central office and stopping “police harassment” on its leaders and activists during April 28 elections.

A seven-member BNP delegation headed by party’s standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah placed the demands in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad at EC Secretariat this afternoon.

Hannan Shah later briefed reporters about their meeting.

The other delegation members are Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, ASM Abdul Halim, Mushfiqur Rahman, Sujauddin Ahmed, Abdur Rashid Sarkar and ABM Abdus Sattar. 

On March 25, a team of pro-BNP professionals met with the CEC and requested him to extend the nomination submission deadline for the elections, but they were rejected.

On the demand of army deployment, CEC told reporters that they will discuss the issue in a meeting with law enforcement and intelligence agencies on April 19.

The elections of the bifurcated Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations will be held on April 28.