Attacks, threats, and intimidations against independent candidates in different places across Bangladesh continued with reports of sporadic clashes during the campaign for the general election slated for January 7.
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 paramilitary forces at the Border Guard in Bangladesh.
Many independent candidates alleged that their supporters had been obstructed and their election campaign offices had been vandalised while rivals were issuing threats publicly or using social media.
‘It’s a terrible situation. I was attacked. I, along with my supporters, was obstructed and about to be kidnapped before district administration and police rescued me on Saturday night,’ said independent candidate Dilip Kumar Agarwala, a pro-AL businessman who, among five others, is contesting for Chuadnaga-1 constituency, where the AL-nominated candidate is Solaiman Haque Joarder Selun, the incumbent lawmaker.
Dilip Kumar told New Age that one bullet was fired by the attackers.
He alleged that it was not the first time his people or he were attacked, as at least 20 of his supporters had been hospitalised since electioneering started on December 18.
The incident took place at about 8:45pm on Saturday when Solaiman Haque’s campaigners, led by Kutubpur union chairman Ali Ahammad Hasanuzzaman Manik, obstructed the independent candidate and his campaigners in setting up an election campaign office in Shankarpur union.
Police officials did not find any evidence of the shooting incident but said that the independent candidate was obstructed.
Chuadanga police superintendent RM Faizur Rahman said that they were working to keep law and order under their control.
The police said that they had arrested five people, including Hasanuzzaman Manik, who is also the Chuadanga sadar upazila unit AL secretary, in connection with the attack.
Solaiman Haque could not be reached for comment.
As of Sunday, at least three people have been killed in Pirojpur, Mymensing, 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.
A ruling Awami League activist, also a supporter of an independent AL candidate, was reportedly killed allegedly by supporters of official AL candidate Abdus Sobhan Mia at Kalkini in Madaripur on Saturday. On Sunday, a human chain was formed, demanding justice for the killing.
The ruling Awami League, the Jatiya Party, the 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.
According to AL leaders, the party’s official candidates kept facing challenges from independent AL or dummy candidates in at least 185 parliamentary constituencies, where 382 independent candidates are 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 Faridpur and Barishal, among other places, between Saturday evening and Sunday evening.
In Faridpur, at least two supporters of independent candidate AK Azad were injured in the Gerda union on Sunday when miscreants vandalised an election campaign office.
New Age correspondent in Barishal reported that the election office of Pankaj Nath, an independent candidate for Barishal-4 (Hijla-Mehendganj) and incumbent Awami League lawmaker, and the houses of his supporters came under attack in Hijla upazila on Saturday night and Sunday morning, leaving one of his supporters chopped and five others injured.
The latest incident took place on Sunday morning when Pankaj supporters were distributing leaflets in favour of his symbol, the eagle.
Aliganj Bazaar Mandir committee president Ram Prasad alleged that 40–50 activists of Shammi Ahmed attacked them with sharp weapons. Shammi’s political fellow Khaled Masud Ahmed said she was in Dhaka and was still fighting to get back her candidature, and the allegation was baseless.
Hijla police station officer-in-charge Zubair Ahmed said that they were investigating the matter.
New Age correspondent reported that a supporter of the ruling AL-nominated candidate for Rajshahi-1 (Godagari-Tanore) constituency, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, threatened to beat AL-independent candidate Sharmin Akter Nipa, widely known as Mahiya Mahi, with shoes.
In a recorded video posted on his Facebook wall on Saturday night, the supporter, Mahabur Rahman Maham, issued a threat to the film actress and made offensive remarks about her, reportedly for speaking against incumbent lawmaker Omar Faruk Chowdhury.
Following the incident, Jahedul Islam, cousin of Mahiya Mahi, lodged a written complaint against Maham with Tanore police station on Sunday, seeking security for his sister.
Maham, who removed the video from his Facebook wall several hours later, was not available for comment despite repeated attempts over the phone.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Electoral Inquiry Committee for Rajshahi-1 (Godagari and Tanore) constituency issued a show-cause notice to Maham on Sunday for threatening Mahiya Mahi.
New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reported that Abdus Samad, the district AL organising secretary and chief electoral campaigner agent of the AL-nominated candidate for Rajshahi-5 (Puthia-Durgapur) constituency, asked the party leaders and activists not to bring voters of the boat symbol to the polling centres but rather to ensure votes from the BNP.
‘You have to ensure that BNP supporters, who will come to the polling centres, cast their votes for the boat symbol,’ Samad said while talking to party leaders and activists at an electoral camp of AL-nominated candidate Abdul Wadud at Varara area in Puthia upazila on Saturday night.
The Pabna correspondent reported that at least three people were injured in the attack on the election office of independent candidate Abdul Hamid Master of Pabna-3 constituency, and there were allegations of tearing posters.
Abdul Hamid Master, an independent candidate with the truck symbol, alleged that the supporters of the AL candidate continued threatening and started vandalism.
Awami League candidate Maqbul Hossain admitted to the incident and said that he had warned his supporters about the matter.
Independent candidates were also intimidated, while voters were threatened with dire consequences if they boycotted the election.
In Kushtia, Chapra union parishad chairman and AL leader Enamul Haque Manju, an influential campaigner for AL-nominated candidate and incumbent lawmaker Selim Alfat George, threatened voters on Saturday evening with the suspension of all government facilities if the beneficiaries boycotted the votes.
In Brahmanbaria, AL-incumbent lawmaker BM Farhad, who AL also nominated in the next election, has publicly threatened Kundu union parishad chairman Nasir Uddin Bhuiyan for joining the campaign of independent candidate Syed AK Ekramuzzaman for the Brahmanbaria-1 (Nasirnagar) constituency.
The lawmaker issued the threat on Friday, and the threat went viral on social media.
An AL leader and independent candidate, Abbur Mannan, issued a threat to local health official Alok Kumar Das in a telephonic conversation about his support of the AL-nominated candidate, and the conversation was leaked.
Meanwhile, Nuruzzaman Ahmed, an AL candidate for Lalmonirhat-2 constituency and social welfare minister, on Saturday issued a threat to Golam Mortuza Hanif, a supporter of an independent candidate, publicly saying that his neck would be broken.
In violation of the electoral code of conduct, AL candidate Mohiuddin Ahmad held a massive procession in Munshiganj’s Sirajdikhan upazila on Sunday, blocking traffic on the main road for more than an hour.
As a result of the rally, vehicles including buses, rickshaws, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws were all stuck, creating heavy traffic, New Age correspondent reports from the spot.
Mohiuddin said that the procession drew between 15,000 and 20,000 participants, who were hardly aware of the rules.
New Age
