The government has finalised the list of superintendents of police (SPs) for all 64 districts ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election.
The selection was completed through a manual lottery system at the chief adviser's residence, Jamuna, Monday evening.
Representatives from the Chief Adviser's Office and the home ministry were present during the selection, along with high officials of the police headquarters (PHQ).
The SPs will be posted to their respective districts in phases.
Sources at the Chief Adviser's Office and the PHQ confirmed the development to The Daily Star.
They, however, refused to disclose the names before the ministry published a circular.
The government completed the selection process when the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam was on an official trip to Morocco to join the Interpol Conference. The police chief will return to the country on November 27.
A deputy inspector general (DIG) of the PHQ told The Daily Star that officers who had previously served as district SPs were excluded in the first stage. Besides, those who played commanding roles during the last three elections were kept outside the process, said the DIG, requesting anonymity.
For the selection process through lottery, the PHQ, earlier in July this year, conducted an evaluation and prepared a list it deemed fit with priority for the 25th, 27th, and 28th batches of the police cadre.
Another PHQ source said that after the SP postings, the next step will be assigning officers-in-charge (OCs) to police stations through a similar lottery process.
Lists of honest, neutral, and competent inspectors have already been collected from unit chiefs, and a "fit list" has been compiled.
At the same time, the process of clearing long-pending promotions of senior officers has also begun.
Earlier on Saturday, a special meeting was held at the home ministry to discuss policies related to police appointments and transfers during the election period.
During the meeting, a discussion arose regarding keeping the incumbent SPs working in their respective districts, while another group requested a total reshuffle. Amid the situation, the government decided to select SPs through a lottery system.
A senior PHQ official, requesting anonymity, said the lottery method was introduced to avoid any controversy surrounding election-centric policing.
"This will help ensure the deployment of neutral officers in the field," he said.