Sagar Biswas :
Police on Monday recovered about 2,000 sealed ballot papers, which were looted during first phase Union Parishad [UP] elections, from the roadside at Barobhag village under Latifabad Union of sadar upzila in Kishoreganj district.
Ashraful Alam, who was Returning Officer of the UP on the day, said a gang of miscreants led by some ‘member’ candidates looted 2,052 sealed ballot papers attacking the on-duty officials. “The Election Commission [EC] halted the result of that centre and filed a case with concerned police station accusing 25 persons, including three candidates,” he said.
When contacted, Sub Inspector Sanjoy Banik, Investigating Officer of the case, said that nobody was arrested in connection with the ballot looting. “The ballot papers were found abandoned in a sack at the roadside. Those were used in AU Senior Madrasa centre,” he also said.
In this backdrop, the overall law and order situation is apprehended to deteriorate further in the next phases of UP elections due to denial approach of EC to shoulder responsibility of massive violence and irregularities in the first phase.
The second phase of election is going to be held in 643 unions under 47 districts on Thursday. And in several areas, the rival candidates are reportedly flexing muscles to get hold of the polling centres. There are also reports of attack on the houses and business establishments of rival candidates and members of minority community.
The situation is also highly tensed in different areas. The candidates of ruling Awami League have failed to field ‘chairman’ candidates in 19 UPs out of 49 of 10 upazilas in Rangamati district fearing fatal consequence being threatened by some local armed cadre-based political parties.
The scenario is the same for BNP where it also could not nominate its candidates in 29 UPs even on the last date of submitting nomination papers [Sunday] for the third face election scheduled to be held on April 23.
Meanwhile, being summoned by EC, the Superintendent of Police in Satkhira and five Officers-in-Charge [OCs] of concerned police stations will appear before the Commission on Wednesday to submit their statements over the ‘ballot stuffing’ in 11 centres, official sources said.
Earlier, the EC had suspended all policemen; those were on-duty at 11 centres, on charge of stuffing ballot with fake seals at 14 centres in the earlier night of the election. The EC also halted voting in three centres of Kumira union under Tala upazila, four centres of Alipur union at Sadar upazila, three centres of Kaikhali union at Shyamnagar upazila, two centres of Kushdanga union at Kalaroa upazila and one centre from each Keralkata union and Parulia union of Bedhata upazila, according to the officials.
Deputy Secretary of EC [election conducting cell] Shamsul Alam said: “Among 14 most disturbed centres in Satkhira, the law enforcers tried to resist anomalies only in three centres. But no action was taken in the rest eleven centres. So, the EC has taken decision to file cases and suspend the responsible policemen.”
To make the second phase successful, the EC, however, has imposed ban on plying motorcycles in the electoral areas from Monday to Thursday midnight for holding second phase of election. Besides, baby-taxi, auto-rickshaw, easy-bike, taxicab, microbus, jeep, pickup, car, bus, truck, tempo and some under vehicles have been brought under restriction.
Election Commissioner Mohammad Shahnewaz said: “We have imposed restriction on plying of motorcycles and other vehicles like the previous elections. We have already asked the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry to take necessary steps in this regard.”
The third phase of UP elections will be held April 23, fourth phase on May 7, fifth phase on May 28 and sixth phase on June 4, as per schedule announced by EC.
But raising finger towards EC, the Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik [SUJAN], a civil society platform working for good governance, on Monday further alleged that the first phase of UP election was ‘perverted’.
“We think, the EC must step aside from holding second phase of UP election, if it [EC] doesn’t take responsibility of irregularities and violence,” Badiul Alam Mazumdar, Secretary of SUJAN, told a press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity yesterday.
