Information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said that installation of CCTV cameras inside the voting rooms was a violation of privacy of the voters.

‘If CCTVs are installed inside the confidential voting rooms and these are seen by others, then how these rooms stay confidential,’ he wanted to know and added, ‘this is not my opinion but opinions of common people and law specialists.’

The minister made the remarks while replying to journalists during a press conference at the ministry conference room in the secretariat.

Replying to another question, he said that some people took the help of the candidates or election officials to cast votes through EVMs.

On October 12, the Election Commission stopped the Gaibandha-5 by-polls as it found massive irregularities during voting through electronic voting machines.

After that, the EC had to face criticism from both the ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal stated that the commission wanted voters to be able to vote and that CCTV was being used for that purpose.

Hasan Mahmud also said that he didn’t know when the new secretary for the ministry would join.

The government sent information and broadcasting secretary Md Mokbul Hossain on early retirement.

The public administration ministry issued a gazette notification to the effect on October 16 as per the Public Service Act 2018 citing ‘public interest’ as the reason for sending the bureaucrat on retirement before the completion of his normal service tenure.