This photo taken on January 5, 2024 shows a burnt room of Charshaha Bhikari High School polling centre under Sonagazi upazila in Feni. – UNB photo.
At least five polling centres were set on fire in Rajshahi and Feni, while torching of campaign booths, hurling of crude bombs, and sporadic clashes have continued across the country as electioneering of the candidates for the January 7 general election ended on Friday.
Most opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have boycotted the election, demanding the resignation of the government of Sheikh Hasina and holding the polls under a non-party caretaker administration.
BNP, who urged people to refrain from voting, has called for a general strike for 48 hours beginning today.
New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reported that unidentified people exploded crude bombs and set four polling centres on fire in Rajshahi between Thursday night and early Friday.
In Bagha upazila, unidentified people set fire to the office room of Jhina Govt Primary School and an abandoned building of Jutanshi Government Primary School.
Murad Ali, the head teacher of Jhina Govt Primary School in the Arani municipality area, told New Age that the guard informed him at about 11:30pm that someone had set the school’s office room on fire.
‘Someone poured petrol through the back window and set the office on fire,’ he said, adding that a total of fifteen chairs, a table, cupboards, other furniture, and important documents were burned in the fire.
The head teacher said that he had informed the upazila administration, the upazila education officer, and the police administration about the incident.
Akter Banu Belly, the head teacher of Jutanshi Government Primary School under Pakuria union, told New Age that the guard, Mehedi Hasan, informed her that an abandoned building of the school was set on fire early Friday.
‘We immediately informed the upazila administration about the incident, and they, along with the police, visited the school,’ she said, adding that some furniture inside the abandoned building was burned.
Meanwhile, unidentified people exploded crude bombs and set fire to the office room of Akkelpur High School under Ganipur union in Bagmara upazila at about 2:00am on Friday, said head teacher Altaf Hossain.
‘A total of 20 chairs, six tables, two cupboards, two plastic racks, and other electric equipment and necessary documents burned into ashes in the fire,’ he said, adding that the miscreants also left two crude bombs in front of the school.
Arobindo Sarker, officer-in-charge of the Bagmara police station, told New Age that they had informed the special unit of police to defuse and remove the two crude bomb-like objects.
In Mohonpur upazila, a classroom of Motiher High School was set on fire at about 2:00am on Friday, said the school’s head teacher, Mojibur Rahman.
He said that a few benches, chairs, and tables were burned in the fire.
When contacted, Rajshahi district police spokesperson and additional superintendent of police Rafiqul Islam said that they were investigating the incident and would take the necessary actions.
The Inspector General of police, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, warned on Friday of tough action against people who would try to commit sabotage during the election.
He said that after the arrest of a leader of Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in Magura, they got information about plans to commit violence and sabotage during the election.
New Age correspondent from Feni reported that miscreants set fire to a polling centre at Char Sahavikari High School by pouring petrol in pre-dawn hours on Friday.
Sonagazi police station officer-in-charge Sudeep Roy Palash said that furniture and documents were burned in the fire.
Sonagazi-Daganbhuiyan circle assistant police superintendent Taslim Hossain said they had detained school peon Abul Kalam Azad in connection with the incident and were investigating the matter.
New Age correspondent in Rajshahi said that miscreants reportedly set fire to an election camp of an AL-independent candidate for Natore-4 constituency (Gurudaspur-Baraigram), Asif Abdullah bin Quddus Sobhan, in Bonpara municipality early Friday.
Asif Abdullah said that the followers of AL candidate Siddiqur Rahman Patwary set his electoral camp on fire to create panic among voters.
Patwary, however, denied the allegation.
Miscreants set an electoral camp of the AL candidate for Chapainawabganj-1 (Shibganj) constituency, Shamil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, on fire in the Shikarpur area under the Mubarakpur union of the upazila early Friday.
Shimul told New Age they were unsure who set his electoral camp on fire.
‘Any or both of the rival candidates’ people or the BNP-Jamaat men might have burned it down’, he said.
Sajjad Hossain, the officer-in-charge of the Shibganj police station, mentioned that a part of the election camp was burned in the fire.
United News of Bangladesh reported that a guard of AL candidate for Khulna-3 constituency SM Kamal Hossain’s election campaign camp was injured after miscreants threw kerosene at him outside the camp early Friday.
The injured Hasan Farazi was admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital.
Khan Jahan Ali police station officer-in-charge Momtazul Haque said that two to three miscreants threw kerosene at Hasan Farazi at the camp in the Jogipole area around 2:30am on Friday.
Meanwhile, an attempt was made to set a classroom of a polling centre on fire in Singra upazila in Natore on Thursday night.
Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge of Singra Police Station, said that miscreants threw a burning tyre inside the classroom of Pakuria Govt Primary School under Italy union parishad at about 11:30pm on Thursday.
Rezaul Karim, the head teacher of the school, told New Age that local people noticed the burning tyre and extinguished the fire.