EC orders returning officers to preserve election video footage as future evidence

The Election Commission (EC) has directed returning officers to preserve video footage of the general election from CCTV-equipped polling stations as future evidence.

In a letter issued on Thursday, the EC Secretariat instructed officials to secure footage recorded on Feb 11, the day before the polls, and Feb 12, the day of the election.

The commission also stated that evidence must be stored at the assistant returning officer’s offices to serve as future reference.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah had previously noted that 90 percent of polling stations were under CCTV monitoring.

On the election day, the EC’s central law and order coordination cell monitored proceedings using a variety of digital feeds, including CCTV, drones, body-worn cameras and live video feeds from Bangladesh Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicles.

The general election took place across 42,651 polling stations in 299 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies.