First phase to see transfer of 326 OCs and 207 UNOs

In the initial stage of the Election Commission‍‍`s effort to realign Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) and Officer-in-Charges (OCs) ahead of the January 7 national election, authorities have created primary lists of UNOs and OCs of police stations to transfer.

According to sources in the public administration ministry and police headquarters, the names of 207 UNOs and 326 OCs are on the lists created by district officials, reports The Daily Star. 

To ensure a free and fair national election, the EC on November 30 surprisingly instructed two senior secretaries of the home ministry and public administration ministry to relocate all 495 UNOs and 636 OCs across the nation in phases .

According to the EC, the first phase will see the transfer of OCs who have worked at a police station for more than six months in a different constituency and the relocation of UNOs who have worked at an upazila for more than a year to other districts.

Of the 207 UNOs listed on the list, 48 are located in Chattogram, 48 in Rajshahi, 48 in Dhaka division, 12 in Barishal, 15 in Mymensingh, 21 in Sylhet, 17 in Rangpur, and 27 in Rajshahi division.

Before delivering the list to the EC, officials will work on it a bit further, according to sources.

According to representatives of the ministry of public administration, the UNOs would be relocated to upazilas in close proximity to their previous workplaces. They said that transferring every UNO before the election would be extremely difficult.

Anwar Hossain, deputy inspector general (DIG) at the Police Headquarters, said, as many as 326 officers have served longer than six months at their stations; officials are still working through the list.

There are sixty of the OCs; twenty are in the Sylhet range, twenty-eight in the Rangpur range, twenty-one in the Barishal range, thirty-eight in the Khulna range, three in the Rangpur Metropolitan Police, twenty-three in the Mymensingh range, four in the Khulna Metropolitan Police, and five in the Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, informed reporters on Sunday that the OCs will be moved in accordance with the EC‍‍`s directive.

"In the chief election commissioner‍‍`s opinion, those who have been the OC of a police station for a long time, might be swayed by someone. That is why they have asked the transfer," home boss added.