Police classify ‘three-quarters’ of Dhaka polling centres as ‘high-risk’

With the parliamentary elections less than 10 days away, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has classified nearly three-quarters of the capital’s polling centres as “important”, reflecting concerns over potential “risks”, according to the home advisor.

The DMP oversees 2,131 polling centres across the city, which are being divided into “important” and “general” categories, Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali said.

A senior officer said, “After area-based verification, 1,616 centres have been marked ‘important’ while 515 are considered ‘general’.

“That means 75.83% of all centres fall under the ‘important’ category.”

He added that 37 centres would receive “specially important” status.

Following a Jan 19 law-and-order meeting at the Secretariat, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said 42,761 polling stations will operate nationwide.

Of these, 25,332 are classified as either “more important” or “important,” with “important” implying high-risk in terms of excitement and influence.

DMP divisions have mapped centres by constituency:

Wari: 327 centres, 280 “important” (Dhaka-4, Dhaka-5, part of Dhaka-6)

Lalbagh: 217 centres, 155 “important” (part of Dhaka-6, Dhaka-7, Dhaka-10)

Motijheel: 280 centres, 228 “important” (part of Dhaka-8, Dhaka-9, Dhaka-11)

Ramna: 167 centres, 109 “important” (part of Dhaka-8, Dhaka-10, Dhaka-13)

Tejgaon: 286 centres, 199 “important” (Dhaka-10, Dhaka-11, Dhaka-12, Dhaka-13, part of Dhaka-15)

Mirpur: 440 centres, 331 “important” (Dhaka-14, part of Dhaka-15, Dhaka-16, Dhaka-17)

Gulshan: 249 centres, 178 “important” (Dhaka-11, Dhaka-17, Dhaka-18)

Uttara: 165 centres, 136 “important” (Dhaka-18)

Ramna Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam said polling centres were classified as “important” based on multiple factors, including location, existing security arrangements, voter demographics, and candidate profiles.

“Security at these centres will be tighter than at other stations,” he added.

Voters and officials can expect heightened monitoring and precautions when polls open on Feb 12.