Thirteen-year-old Tasibul Islam was excited about the UP polls yesterday as his uncle was a member candidate in Nalua union of Chattogram’s Satkania upazila.
But the seventh grader was stabbed to death after he found himself in the middle of a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates in the union.
A supporter of a chairman candidate from the ruling Awami League was also killed in the upazila’s Bajalia union.
With the two victims, at least 100 people have been killed in violence centring on the staggered union parishad polls, which began in June last year, according to media reports.
As many as 138 unions across the country went to the polls in the seventh phase yesterday.
Clashes between supporters of chairman candidates took place in at least four unions of Satkania, mainly over capturing polling centres and establishing dominance.
Several people were also hurt in the clashes, during which many were seen brandishing arms and carrying bamboo sticks.
Deceased Tasibul was a student of Marfala RMN High School in Nalua union.
After a clash ensued near the Marfala Board Office polling centre over attempts to capture it, he started running towards safety. He, however, fell on the ground hitting a tree, SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of police in Chattogram, said, quoting witnesses.
The boy was stabbed to death moments later, he said.
Marfala village, where Tasibul lived, was wrapped in a pall of gloom yesterday evening. Tasibul’s rickshaw-puller father Jasim Uddin was wailing next to the body.
“Where is my son? What was his fault?” he kept asking.
Tasibul’s mother Sakhina Begum fainted several times.
His uncle Mizanur Rahman, who contested the polls for a member post, said his nephew had nothing to do with politics. He had gone to the polling station to see how voting takes place.
They family demanded the killers handed death penalty.
In Bajalia union, Abdus Shukkur, 40, a supporter of a chairman candidate, was shot during a clash in front of a polling centre around 11:00am, said Abdul Jalil, OC of Satkania Police Station.
Critically injured Shukkur was rushed to Keranihat Ma o Shishu Hospital where he died, said Rakib Uddin, resident medical officer of the hospital.
Shukkur had come from Chattogram city to support the AL candidate Tapas Dutta. Tapas blamed his rivals for the killing.
Meanwhile, polling was suspended in two centres in the upazila’s Khagaria following a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates, said Jahangir Hossain, election officer in the district.
Supporters of AL candidate Akhter Hossain and independent candidate Jasim Uddin clashed in wards-6 and 7 around 10:00am. A few shots were fired in the incidents.
On information, members from the police and BGB rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, said OC Abdul Jalil.
Voting was also suspended at the Pilot Farm Government Primary School centre in Panchhari Sadar Union of Khagrachhari over stuffing of ballot boxes and snatching of ballot papers.
According to local sources, a clash broke out between supporters of two member candidates at the centre around noon.
Returning Officer Rikal Chakma later announced the postponement.
[Our correspondents in Chattogram and Khagrachhari contributed to this report]
