Use of guns, physical assault, intimidation, and clashes between Awami League and the party-backed independent candidates were reported in different places across Bangladesh, leaving scores, including campaigners for the January 7 general election, injured.
Incidents of using firearms were reported in Chuadanga and Tangail on Saturday and Sunday night, despite the home ministry’s ban on carrying or brandishing licenced weapons until January 9.
New Age correspondent in Tangail reported that at least three campaigners, including an Awami Juba League leader, sustained bullet injuries during a clash between supporters of AL and an independent in Tangail-5.
The incident took place in the Baghil union of Tangail Sadar at about 11:00pm on Sunday.
Baghil union unit Juba League secretary Rokonuzzaman Rokon and supporters Siam and Emdadul Hoque were hospitalised with pellets.
Police later arrested two supporters of independent candidate Sanowar Hossain following the clash.
The Tangail police superintendent, Sarkar Mohammad Kayser, said that they had learned that the boat supporters were parading towards an independent candidate’s election office in an attempt to take control of it.
He said that fearing attacks, the supporters of the independent candidate opened fire.
‘We are still investigating to get an actual scenario and are interrogating two supporters of an independent candidate in the connection,’ he told New Age.
He said the police found empty cartridges on the spot and are now visiting the houses of those who have licenced arms just to confirm the legality of the weapons used on Sunday night.
The AL candidate, Mamunur Rahman, claimed that supporters of the independent candidate opened fire suddenly when his supporters were holding a procession.
Independent candidate Sanowar Hossain for Tangail-5 with the eagle symbol said that none of his supporters opened fire and that they were attacked by the boat supporters, but the police arbitrarily arrested two of his supporters.
As of Monday, at least three people have been killed in Pirojpur, Mymensingh, and Madaripur so far and scores injured since the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 12th parliamentary election on November 15, allowing formal campaigning from December 18.
Independent candidates have accused the ruling Awami League candidates of carrying out those attacks and intimidations amid the vigilance of magistrates and police and the deployment of additional forces from the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh.
Many independent candidates alleged that their supporters had been obstructed and their election campaign offices had been vandalised while their rivals were issuing threats publicly or using social media.
The ruling Awami League, the Jatiya Party, the newly-formed Bangladesh Nationalist Movement, and independent candidates are among those contesting the election.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and many other opposition parties have been calling people to boycott the election and demanding a free and fair election under a non-party caretaker government.
The ruling party’s official candidates kept facing challenges from independent AL or dummy candidates in at least 185 parliamentary constituencies, where at least 382 independent candidates were contesting.
New Age correspondents reported from different districts that scores of people were injured in clashes between supporters of the official AL and independent AL candidates in Naogaon, Rajshahi, and Lalmonirhat, among other places, between Sunday evening and Monday evening.
Lalmonirhat correspondent reported the injuries of over a dozen people in separate incidents when the supporters of the ruling AL carried out an attack on the supporters and the campaign office of Lalmonirhat-1 independent candidate Ataur Rahman Pradhan, who was
contesting with the eagle symbol.
The incident took place in Hatiabandha upazila at about 9:00pm on Sunday.
Independent candidate Ataur Rahman said that supporters of the boat symbol had carried out repeated attacks, seeing the popularity of the eagle symbol.
The boat-symbol lead campaigner and Gaddimari union parishad chairman, Abu Bakar Siddique Syamol, was approached for comments but could not be reached.
Hatiabandha police station officer-in-charge Saiful Islam said that the incident started with the tearing of posters.
Meanwhile, the correspondent reported that another independent candidate from Lalmonirhat-2 constituency, with the eagle symbol Sirajul Haque, alleged four of his supporters were assaulted by the AL candidate’s supporters.
In Naogaon, United News of Bangladesh reported that supporters of Naogaon-5 independent candidate Dewan Sekar Ahmed Shishan allegedly set fire to five election camps of Al-backed candidate Nazim Uddin Jalil on Sunday night.
The arson attacks were reported in Gostahatir, Trimohani Bazar area of Sadar upazila, Halghoshpara of Bakhtarpur union, and Chaktartao Muktarpara area at night.
Mahbubul Haque Kamal, president of Naogaon Sadar upazila unit of Awami League, said that supporters of independent candidate Dewan Sekar Ahmed were provoking supporters of the AL after the allocation of symbols.
Terming the allegation as a baseless, independent candidate, AL Naogaon municipal unit president Dewan Saker Ahmed said that the supporters of AL candidate Nazim Uddin Jalil were playing dirty politics knowing a certain defeat in the election.
They were staging drama by setting fire to their own election camps, he said, adding that the supporters of the AL candidate were continuously threatening his supporters.
New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reported that police arrested three supporters of AL candidate for Rajshah-4 (Bagmara) Abul Kalam Azad for attacking the convoy of AL independent candidate incumbent lawmaker Enamul Haque at Namsor
village under Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi on Sunday night.
Witnesses and political activists said that the attack was carried out when Enamul Haque, along with about two hundred fellow leaders and activists, was returning home after campaigning in the Govindpara, Nardash, and Sonadanga unions on Sunday night.
Independent candidate Enamul Haque alleged that supporters of the AL candidate attacked his convoy suddenly while he was returning home.
AL candidate Abul Kalam Azad claimed that bricks-bats were thrown targeting his supporters from independent candidate Enamul Haque’s convoy, leaving one of his supporters injured.
Momtaz Pramanik lodged a written complaint on Monday against seventeen supporters of Emanul Haque for setting an electoral camp of Abul Kalam Azad on fire on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, Abu Hanif Suja, brother of AL candidate for Rajshahi-5 (Puthia-Durgapur) constituency Abdul Wadud, reportedly slapped a person for not agreeing to cast his vote for the boat symbol on Sunday.
In Faridpur, the election campaigning officer of AL candidate Kazi Zafarullah was reportedly vandalised in Bhanga upazila on Sunday evening.
A complaint was filed with the Bhanga police station on Monday.
His opponent, independent candidate Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury’s supporter and Faridpur Zila Parishad chairman Shahadat Hossain, said that such an allegation was baseless.
Bhanga police station inspector Praddut Sarker said that after hearing the information, they sent a team to the Kalamridha area in the night, and legal action would be taken after the investigation.
In Chattogram, the supporters of AL candidate and incumbent lawmaker Mahfuzur Rahman, who was contesting with the boat symbol, carried out an attack on the supporters of AL independent candidate Jalal Uddin Chowdhury in Sandwip on Sunday night, leaving four injured.
Sandwip police station officer-in-charge Kabir Hossain said that they had arrested five following the attack.
Meanwhile, several legal actions were taken following rampant violations of the electoral code of conduct.
The Election Inquiry Committee of Cumilla district on Monday recommended the Election Commission take action against the AL candidate for Cumilla-6, AKM Bahauddin Bahar, for breaching the electoral code of conduct.
Siraj Uddin Iqbal, the chairman of the inquiry committee and the joint district judge of Cumilla district, said that he sent the recommendation to commission headquarters.
According to EC officials in the report, the inquiry committee said that Bahauddin Bahar, also the incumbent lawmaker, threatened that the arms and legs of BNP and Jamaat activists would be broken if they worked in favour of any candidate in the January 7 general election.
The video footage of his speech was spread on social media.
Mashrafe bin Mortaza, the Awami League candidate for Narail-2, has been fined Tk 15,000 for violating the code of conduct, while three more candidates for the same seat have been fined Tk 20,000.
Executive magistrates Rakibul Islam and Anisur Rahman imposed the fines on candidates.
The EC on Monday also warned AL candidate for Magura-1 Shakib Al Hasan and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement candidate SM Newaz Morshed for violating the code.
New Age
