The BNP runner was taken into police custody following a scuffle between his followers and ruling party supporters in Dohar
Police have released Khandaker Abu Ashfaq, BNP’s Dhaka 1 constituency candidate (Dohar-Nawabganj) three hours after picking him up during electioneering.
Dohar police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sazzad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that they took Ashfaq into custody following a scuffle between the BNP and Awami League supporters in the Bashtola area of Dohar around 5pm on Wednesday.
The Dhaka Tribune’s photojournalist Mehedi Hasan, who was at the scene, said that more than 50 people, including journalists and BNP men, were injured after police charged baton to disperse the two groups.
He said that at least 10 other BNP leaders and activists were also detained by police at the time.
However, Sazzad said that only Ashfaq was picked up to ensure his security, dissipate the tension in the area and prevent escalation of the scuffle.
The clash had also left at least 10 Awami League supporters injured, he said.
Ashfaq, who is set to contest the December 30 polls from that seat, was however released around 8:30pm, the OC added.
The BNP aspirant will battle it out from Dhaka 1 with Awami League’s heavyweight candidate Salman F Rahman, who is running with the boat symbol.
Later, responding to Ashfaq’s brief detention, the BNP chief’s press wing official Shamsuddin Didar told the Dhaka Tribune: “This whole incident is like rubbing salt into a fresh wound.”
Earlier in the day, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also alleged that 181 of their party leaders and activists were detained by law enforcement agencies across Bangladesh since the electioneering started on Monday.
The Election Commission on Monday had allocated electoral symbols to the political parties, giving the green light to the candidates – both representatives of the parties and independents – to begin campaigning.
Source: Dhaka Tribune.