Fear deepens as polls near

Apprehension about uncongenial polling environment grows as violence and arrests of opposition activities continue to mar electioneering in the 11th parliamentary elections slated for December 30. 
The motorcade of Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir from Dhaka was intercepted on their way to attend an election rally at Bandar in Narayanganj on Friday.
Election offices of both the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP came under attacks in several districts and both the parties traded blame for the incidents.
On Friday, police arrested a Jamaat leader vying the election with the BNP symbol from Jessore 4 while BNP candidate for Patuakhali 3 was sued under much-talked-about Digital Security Act.
Against the backdrop of violence and arrests, several UN rights experts expressed alarm about the political violence and restrictions on freedom of expression ahead of the general election in Bangladesh, according to a statement made available on its website on December 20. 
They expressed serious concerns about whether the elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner in this situation. 
Meanwhile, election commissioner Rafiqul Islam in Rajshahi, replying to reporters on Friday, said the ongoing violence by political parties ahead of the election was nothing but a part of the country’s political culture.
Kalaroa Police Station officer-in-charge Sheikh Maruf Ahmed in Satkhira, in breach of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, on Thursday sought vote for boat, the election symbol for ruling Awami League, in the upcoming national election.
AL president Sheikh Hasina in her first election rally in Dhaka urged city dwellers to cast votes for her party symbol. 
‘The voting trend is in favour of the boat symbol. The boat must get the victory and we will form the next government,’ she said addressing the rally at Gulshan Youth Club Field.
Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the Narayanganj rally at Sonakanda Stadium said the opposition alliance was not being allowed to hold meeting and rally while the prime minister using helicopter with the government’s facility was conducting election campaigns.
He urged people to wake up to exercise their franchise.
Speaking at a press conference at Jatiya Oikya Front office in Paltan in Dhaka, its top leader Dr Kamal Hossain alleged attacks, obstruction and intimidation of opposition candidates by the ruling party and police were unprecedented.
So far, 16 JOF candidates are in jail after they were arrested in ‘fictitious’ cases while around 4,000 opposition leaders and activists were arrested since the electioneering began on December 10.
BNP leaders from different districts alleged that their leaders and activists could not join the electioneering in full swing in fear of arrest and attacks across the country.
They alleged that neither the Election Commission nor its electoral enquiry committees had so far taken any move to dispose of their complaints piling with the commission although only eight days were left before the polls.
They claimed that none was arrested in connection with the attacks on their activists since the electioneering began on December 10. 
New Age Correspondent in Narayanganj reported that the Narayanganj-bound motorcade of Jatiya Oikya Front leaders including BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagarik Oikya and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury from Dhaka was intercepted allegedly by AL activists at Madanpur on their way to attend an election rally around 3:30pm on Friday.
The blockaders started fires on the road at Madanpur and traffic remained suspended for about 20 minutes, witnesses said.
Narayanganj additional superintendent of police Mominul Islam said they were investigating the matter.
New Age Correspondent in Jashore reported that police arrested former Jamaat lawmaker Abu Syeed Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, now vying with BNP’s election symbol ‘sheaf of paddy from Jashore 2 constituency from his residence at Jhikargachha upazila headquarters Friday morning.
Syed Saberul Haque, general secretary, Jashore district unit BNP, told New Age that Syeed was not wanted in any case. ‘Miscreants earlier attacked the residence of the former lawmaker and damaged valuables at his residence ’, he added.
Abdur Razzak, officer in-charge, Jhikargachha Police Station, said that Syeed was wanted in a sabotage case.
The BNP leader also added that the police filed two new cases with Sharsha police station accusing 96 BNP men. 
New Age Correspondent in Chattogram reported that miscreants shot and injured five Jatiya Party activists in presence of JP presidium member and candidate Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury at Chambal area of Bashkhali upazila during election campaign on Friday evening.
Baskhali thana acting OC Md Kamal Hossain said that additional police forces were deployed in the area after the incident.
After this attack, followers of Baskhali JP candidate Mahmudul blocked the road and held demonstration at Bailchori until 8:30 pm, said Chattogram additional police super (south) Afruzul Haque Tutul.
In Mymensingh, BNP candidate for Dhaka 3 constituency M Iqbal Hossain alleged that his election office at Raiganj under Gouripur upazila in the district was vandalised by Awami League activists Thursday night.
Gouripur Police Station officer-in-charge Abdullah Al Mamun said they got no such allegation.
In Barishal, unidentified people torched an election camp of Awami League candidate for Barishal 5 Zahid Faruque Shamim near Abed Ali Shah Mazar in the city Thursday night.
Barishal Airport Police Station OC AR Mukul said that they were expecting a case in this connection.
In Satkhira, an election office of AL was torched and bombs were hurled there allegedly by BNP and Jamaat men at Ofapur under Kolaroa on Friday about 12:30am, claimed Kalaroa Police Station OC Maruf Ahmed.
He said that they later raided the area and arrested eight activists of Jamaat and BNP.
In Meherpur, BNP candidate for Meherpur 2 Javed Masud Miltan alleged that his election office at village Chhatian under Gangni was destroyed in an attack by AL activists, led by local union parishad member Liton Hossain, Friday morning.
He alleged that he was not getting any remedy either from police or from the returning officer.
Liton Hossain, however, denied the allegation.
In Patuakhali, a local AL leader Mehedi Masud on Thursday night lodged a case with Galachipa Police Station accusing six people including BNP candidate for Patuakhali 3 constituency, Golam Mawla Rony, and Patuakhali district BNP vice-president Shahjahan Khan under digital security act.
Galachipa Police Station OC Akhter Morshed said that the case was lodged following a recent leaked phone conversation between Rony and one of his fellows in which he allegedly directed his activists to lay seize to the police station and lodge a case accusing at least 100 AL leaders and activists including local AL candidate. 
Rony, however, claimed that the allegation was false.
New Age Correspondent in Narsingdi reported that all the five BNP candidates for five constituencies in the district in a press conference at Narsingdi Bar Association alleged that their activists were not allowed to work for them for attacks on election campaigns, vandalising election camps and arrests by the police. 
Reading out a written speech, district BNP general secretary Tofazzel Hossain Master alleged that their activists were in fear of attacks and arrests as police were now going to their homes and threatening them while AL activists had been attacking them.
After the press conference, plainclothes in the name of detectives picked up eight BNP activists while the other leaders and activists fled away from the press conference venue, witnesses said. 
Narsingdi district DB officer-in-charge Golam Mostafa, however, claimed that he was not aware about the arrests.
New Age Correspondent in Gazipur reported that Shampa Huq, wife of detained BNP candidate for Gazipur 5 Fazlul Huq Milon, alleged that AL activists attacked her election campaign in presence of police near Majukhan Bazaar under Kaliganj Friday morning, leaving her car vandalised and four activists injured.
Shampa alleged that the police picked up two BNP activists from the spot and that she informed the incident to the returning officer.
Police arrested Gazipur district BNP vice-president Shahjahan Fakir, also the election conducting committee member secretary of Jatiya Oikya Front candidate for Gazipur-3 constituency, from Tengra Bazar under Shripur in the district while he was conducting election campaign for Krishok Sramik Janata League leader Iqbal Siddique Friday afternoon.
Shripur Police Station OC Jabedul Islam confirmed the arrest.
Our Correspondent in Shariatpur reported that Shariatpur 2 AL candidate AKM Enamul Huq Shamim in a press conference at Naria municipality office alleged that five AL activists were injured when BNP-Jamaat men hurled bombs on his campaigners led by his electoral agent of and Naria municipality mayor Shahidul Islam at village Paikpara Thursday night.
The five were admitted to Naria Upazila Health Complex.
He alleged that BNP Jamaat men also hurled seven bombs targeting the house of Sakhipur thana AL general secretary Atiqur Rahman Manik Sarkar.
Two cases were lodged accusing BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists, according to officials at the two police stations.
Naria municipal BNP general secretary Morshed Majhi alleged that the AL, sensing defeat, were staging drama and they themselves cooked up stories by hurling bombs.
New Age Correspondent in Barishal reported that the BCL activists made an electoral office of AL candidate for Bogura 5 constituency grabbing the local BNP office at Paschim Bharanshahi of Dhunat municipality in the district.
Dhunat upazila BNP member secretary Sharafat Zaman Pasha alleged that he constructed the office in 2017 on his own land but BCL activists vandalised it.
He alleged that a group of BCL men, led by Dhunat Chhatra League joint convener Bipul Hasan, captured the office and turned it into the AL election office.
Bipul, however, said that they made the office in an ‘unused room’.
Besides, Sonatala upazila AL joint secretary Ataur Rahman lodged a case with Sonatala Police Station on Friday accusing 571 BNP leaders and activists alleging that the BNP men had attacked the houses of AL men from an election campaign of BNP candidate for Bogra 1 on Thursday. 
Ganosamhati Andolon in a press release alleged that a group of youths vandalised the electoral office of party chief coordinator and candidate for Dhaka-12 constituency, Zonayed Saki, at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital.
Saki in a statement alleged that the EC took no initiative even after informing them about repeated attacks.

Awami League activists turn a former BNP office into their election conducting office at Dhunat in Bogura. The photo was taken recently. — New Age photo

 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net