The Interim government will arrange a three-month long training for 1.5 lakh members of the police on election duties starting from September next.

Besides, 60,000 members of the army will also be deployed during the election period to help maintain law and order and ensure voter safety, said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired a key review meeting at the state guest house Jamuna to assess the law-and-order situation and the preparedness of law enforcement agencies ahead of the upcoming national election.

Talking to reporters after the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy, Alam said the meeting discussed the preparations of police ahead of the election.

“The Inspector General of Police informed the meeting that 1.5 lakh police personnel will receive specialised election-related training starting next month,” he said.

Alam said the training will take place throughout September, October and November.

Replying to a question, he said 60,000 members of the army will also be deployed for election duty.

They (army) have been active in the field since after the 5th of August, following the July uprising and they have magistracy powers. We hope that they will play a strong role during the election. They will mainly serve as a striking force to help control the law and order situation,” Alam said.

With the upcoming election in view, the Press Secretary said the law-and-order situation has been reviewed, along with election preparations, to ensure everything is on track.

He recalled that the Chief Adviser had chaired a similar meeting some days ago, and today (Monday) a second follow-up meeting was held as part of that ongoing process.

Alam said several important matters were discussed in the meeting, and decisions were taken on many of them.

He said the meeting was held at the state guest house, Jamuna, chaired by the Chief Adviser, and attended by key officials, including the Home Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, the Principal Secretary, the Cabinet Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Military Secretary, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, and Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Describing the meeting as highly important, the Press Secretary said it lasted for two hours.

He said the discussions mainly focused on the upcoming election, specifically, how prepared the law enforcement agencies are and what further steps can be taken to strengthen those preparations.

The Press Secretary said one of the key issues discussed was improving coordination. “Strong emphasis was placed on enhancing coordination among the army, police and local administration at the grassroots level.”

Alam also said this coordination was considered crucial not only at the local level but also nationally, and the need to improve it quickly and effectively was strongly highlighted during the meeting.

With the election approaching, he said a significant rise in disinformation has already been observed, and it is expected to increase further.

In response, Alam said there was an in-depth discussion about setting up a National Information Centre to quickly identify and counter false information.

He mentioned that the Chief Adviser stressed the importance of establishing a media centre within the newly formed central command structure under the Home Ministry and the police.

Stating that the aim would be to quickly gather and share accurate updates on law and order, the Press Secretary said daily press briefings have been proposed to keep the public and media informed in real-time about the situation on the ground.

He said Prof Yunus also emphasised that, despite commendable work being done by the police in many areas, much of it remains unrecognised due to the lack of a proper communication mechanism.

Alam said the proposed media centre would help bridge this gap and ensure a steady and transparent flow of information.

Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said one of the key topics discussed in the meeting was the identification of potential hotspots—areas where law and order issues might arise ahead of the election.

He said law enforcement agencies have been instructed to identify such hotspots quickly and recommend any additional security measures that may be needed to ensure stability.

Azad said all law enforcement agencies across districts have been directed to coordinate and send situation reports to the central authorities. “This will help senior officials and decision-makers in the government to clearly understand the ground situation and take necessary action.”

He said the meeting also covered matters related to administration; particularly the routine reshuffling that usually takes place before an election. “The process and approach of this administrative reshuffle were discussed in detail, and some decisions were made.”