Over 2.12 lakh Ansar members deployed: DG

A total of 212,118 members of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party have been deployed across the country to ensure security during Durga Puja, with eight members assigned to each high-risk puja mandap and six to each of the other mandaps.

Besides, 104 striking teams will remain on standby to respond quickly to any untoward incident, said its Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud at a press conference at its headquarters on Thursday.

He said they received information on 33,165 puja mandaps across the country, of which 6,914 have been identified as “important” requiring special security attention.

The striking teams will help coordinate security among puja mandaps and respond swiftly to incidents to prevent opportunistic groups from escalating minor incidents into major disturbances, the Ansar chief said.

The force will use the “Sharadiya Surokkha App” this year, as it did last year, to strengthen security coordination, he said, adding that around 66,000 members will be registered on the app, enabling authorities to receive information quickly and coordinate with police and other law enforcement agencies in the event of an incident.�"UNB