Sagar Biswas :
The Election Commission [EC] has taken step to file case against ruling Awami League lawmaker of Banshkhali Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury with the concerned police station for gross violation of electoral code and physically assaulting an election official.
At the same time, the EC has halted the last and sixth phase election in the all eleven unions of Banshkhali which were scheduled to be held on June 4, officials concerned told The New Nation on Wednesday.
Out of 14, the election in three unions, including Khankhanabad, Gondamara and Chhanua, were suspended earlier due to devastation of cyclone Roanu.
“The Officer-in-Charge of Banskhali Police Station has been asked to file a case under criminal procedure act taking complaint from the Upazila Election Official as an accuser,” Election Commissioner Abu Hafiz said.
Police and local sources said that Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury MP [Chittagong-16 constituency] yesterday called Upazila Election Official Zahidul Islam to UNO office at about 11:30am. The UNO Md Shahshuzzaman was not at his office at that time.
The MP queried Zahidul about the appointment of presiding and polling officers for upcoming UP polls in Banshkhali. The MP raised his objection about the appointments. At one stage, the MP and his supporters severely beat Zahidul, the sources said.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police in Chittagong AKM Hafiz Akhter told The New Nation last night, “Yes there was an occurrence between local MP and an election official. …The case is yet to be filed. It may be filed at any time. The concerned police station will start processing about filing case soon after it gets a written complaint…. Everything will be clear shortly.”
Explaining the reason behind the incident, Zahidul told the media that the MP had been creating severe pressure on him to ensure victory of his favourite candidate. “On Wednesday, the MP called me to meet him at UNO office. When I reached there he started throwing abusive words to me. Not only that, he also slapped me in the face. A few minutes later, some of his followers entered the room and beat me,” he said.
Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, MP, however, denied the allegation of beating an election official terming him an activist of Jamaat-Shibir. “I asked him to meet me at UNO office after getting complaints of appointing Jamaat-Shibir cadres as election officials. The allegation of beating him was totally false, “the MP said.
Interestingly, the incident of Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, MP, was not the first occurrence done by a ruling party lawmaker. EC earlier had filed cases against several MPs and ministers with concerned police stations for electoral misconduct.
The EC sued Shawkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon MP [Barguna-2 constituency] for flouting electoral rules in the first phase UP polls.
Not only that, another ruling party lawmaker Sharif Ahmed MP [Mymensingh-2 constituency] faced allegations of threatening Returning Officer Subrata Pal for not ‘facilitating the victory’ to the party-nominated candidate during the mayoral polls. The angry EC wrote to the Cabinet Division, Prime Minister’s Office and Parliament Speaker seeking action against him at that time.
It is not an end! The EC also sent written complaint to the PMO drawing attention to the electoral misconduct of Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu in the upazila elections.
In April 2015, the EC sent letters to the PMO raising allegations of electoral misconduct against Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain and state ministers Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and Bir Bahadur Ushwe Singh during the Chittagong City Corporation election.
Besides, the EC sent letter to PMO and other concerned departments accusing the then State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder for breaking electoral rules during the Magura by-polls. But no visible action was taken against anyone of them till the date.
