Staff Reporter :
At least seven people were killed and over 100 others injured in separate clashes between the supporters of rival candidates in Narsingdi, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Cumilla, Satkhira and other places centring the second phase Union Parishad (UP) polls that began on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, later in the day, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that clashes are inevitable in the local polls.
“There are always clashes here and there between groups…[people who take part in these polls] to establish dominance. But the law enforcers are not sitting idle,” he told reporters at the secretariat regarding the reports of deaths and violence around the country.
Nonetheless, despite the minister’s claim of law enforcers being active in their jobs, incidents of violence marred the voting.
In Narsingdi, three people have been killed and 30 others injured in a shootout between supporters of two chairman candidates.
The deceased were identified as Salauddin, 30, son of Hekim Mia, Jahangir, 26, son of Abdul Haque Mia and Dulala, 45, son of Hazi Siraj of Bashgari village in the upazila.
The deceased were supporters of Ashraful Islam, an Awami League-backed candidate for the post of chairman of Bashgari UP.
Satyajit Kumar Ghosh, Assistant Superintendent of Police (Raipura circle), said supporters of Ashraful and Ratul Hasan Zakir, an independent candidate, attacked each other in front of Bashgari union parishad complex around 6:00am, two hours before the beginning of the elections.
In Chittagong, a businessman was killed and several people were injured at Lelang union of Fatikchhari over the UP polls.
Rabiul Islam, officer-in-charge of Fatikchhari Police Station, said that the clash broke out between the supporters of two member candidates in Gopalghata Anandabazar area during the voting, leaving Md Shafi dead.
Meanwhile, traffic on the busy Dhaka-Chittagong highway came to a standstill for over half an hour in the morning after supporters of two rival union parishad (UP) member candidates blocked the high-speed corridor following a clash.
Summon Banik, inspector of Sitakunda police station, said that the two groups had clashed with each other in Sonaichhari union of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram around 5am, hours before voting began for the second phase of UP polls in Bangladesh.
In Cox’s Bazar, a clash between supporters of two member candidates at a polling station left one person dead at Khurushkul in Sadar upazila, said the local RAB-15.
The deceased has been identified as Akteruzzaman Putu, 35, younger brother of Sheikh Kamal, a member candidate of Khurushkul No 1 ward.
Commander of Crime Prevention Specialized Company (CCPS) Major Mehedi Hasan of RAB-15 said the supporters of member candidate Babul were trying to stuff ballots during voting at Khurushkul Tetoia Government Primary School centre. But the supporters of Akterruzaman obstructed them, triggering the clash.
In Comilla, at least two people died and several others sustained injuries in separate clashes among supporters of rival candidates and the police in Meghna upazila.
The deceased identified as Sanaullah Dali and Shaon were injured in separate clashes, following which the former died at a local hospital while the latter died on the way to one.
Comilla Additional Superintendent of Police Afzal Hossain confirmed the matter to the media.
In Satkhira, separate incidents of clashes were reported between the supporters and activists of the rival candidates in Baikari Union of Sadar upazila, which left at least 10 people injured, including the chairman candidate nominated by the ruling Awami League. The police had to intervene to bring the situation under control
Satkhira Sadar Hospital emergency department doctor Mushfiqur Rahman said, “So far some 10 people have been admitted to the hospital after clashes in different parts of Baikari Union.”
