M M Jasim :
Bar on the Okiyafront candidates and their supporters’ campaigns continues almost in all the constituencies.
The Okiyafront leaders accused the Election Commission of failing to create level-playing field for all the political parties.
Several Okiyafront candidates and a good number of supporters had been injured across the country since the announcement of election schedule.
On Wednesday, the unidentified persons stabbed Habibur Rahman, BNP candidate for Pabna-4 at Ishwardi.
The attackers swooped on Habibur and his supporters when they were doing election work and were also vandalized their vehicles. Habibur’s nephew Suman Mandal alleged that a group of Awami League leaders and activists swooped on them with locally made sharp weapons around noon.
During the attack, Habibur Rahman sustained critical injuries, he said adding that the BNP leader had been taken to Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex.
Meanwhile, Ishwardi police station officer-in-charge Bahauddin Faruki said they have heard of the incident.
Rahat Ara Begum, wife of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir could not campaign for her husband as the Awami League activists did not want it.
Rahat disclosed it at a press conference in Thakurgaon town yesterday.
“I, along with my daughter and supporters, went to Bashirpara for election campaign, but a gang of eight to 10 people, with sharp weapons, intercepted us. They threatened us to attack if we did not leave the place immediately,” she said.
They might be the activists of Chhatra League and Jubo League, she claimed.
Rahat was campaigning for Fakhrul who is contesting in the upcoming 11th parliamentary election from Thakurgaon-1 constituency. BNP district unit President Taimur Rahman was present during the press briefing.
The residence of BNP candidate Milton Boidya, for the Madaripur-2 seat, has been vandalised amid campaigns for the December 30 election.
The incident occurred in Rajoir Upazila’s Amgram Bazar area around 8pm on Tuesday.
Milton, a BNP leaider, blamed local Union Council Chairman Jahidur Rahman Tipu for the attack. Tipu, the charges he denied. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan is running for the Madaripur-2 seat against Boidya. The Awami League supporters, led by Tipu, vandalised his residence and looted valuables, the BNP candidate alleged.
“This kind of attacks shows that there is no proper environment for the election.” Police rushed to the spot during the incident and restored order, said Ziaul Morshed, Officer-in-Charge of Rajoir Police Station.
Our correspondents from different districts informed that the Okiyafront supporters were assaulted during the campaigning.
Our Bhola correspondent said, the Okiyafront are passing their times in the open field as the police continuously are harassing them and AL men attack them.
On Tuesday, BNP candidate for Dhaka-3 constituency Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and 30 others were injured in a clash reportedly with the “ruling party men” during his campaign in Keraniganj area.
Goyeshwar, also a standing committee member of BNP, sustained injuries in his head.
