Festive mood is still absent although National election is to be held on December 30.
The violence is being happened between the candidates who got the nouka tickets and the Sheaf of Paddy holders. It also escalates between the two groups of the ruling Awami League leaders and activists.
As a result, several supporters of the both groups died and hundreds were injured after announcement of the election schedule on December 9.
On Thursday, a Jubo League activist was killed during a clash between two groups of the party centering the upcoming election at Bandar thana area in the port city Chhattagram on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Md Shahed Prokash Rony, 28.
Officer-in-Charge of Bandar Police Station Mohiuddin Mahmud said that supporters of 37 Munirnagar ward Jubo League leaders Mejbah Uddin Morshed and Debashis Paul Debu locked into a clash around 12:45 am.
Following the clash, supports of rival group hacked Shahed indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured.
Later, the injured was admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital where he died in the morning.
BNP’s candidate from Netrokona-1 constituency Barrister Kayser Kamal staged a sit-in demonstration protesting attack on him and his followers on Thursday. Kayser Kamal urged police to stop arbitrary arrests and harassment of BNP leaders and activists immediately.
The BNP candidate for Barishal 4 constituency KM Nurur Rahman Jahangir was injured in an attack allegedly launched by local Awami Swechchasebak League activists at Patarhat in Mehindiganj upazila.
The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon.
He is undergoing treatment at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
The victim said the attack happened when he was holding meeting with local BNP activists at the residence of former BNP secretary Afsar Hossain Alam on Wednesday afternoon.
‘Meantime, a group of Swechchhasebak League and Sramik League activists attacked us. They broke open the door, ransacked Afsar Hossain’s house and looted Tk 1.75 lakh in cash from me,’ Nurur alleged. ‘The attackers threatened me to leave the area at the earliest and police remained inactive during the incident,’ he said.
‘I will submit a complaint to police and EC,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the election observer said, the common people, especially the young voters, are taking little interest due to continuous violence and absence of assurance for a peaceful, credible and competitive election.
Jatiya Nirbachon Parjabekkhon Parishad (Janipop) Chairman Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah on Thursday said, “The expected level of election excitement, what should have been witnessed by this time is missing. I think all the political parties are still not there in the field with their full strength. It seems they’re conserving energy to use at the last moment.”
Ex-election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said, “Most people are failing to take any interest in electioneering as they can see that a proper polls atmosphere is missing. “The arrest of opposition leaders and activists, filing of cases against them and attacks on their candidates and supporters are going on regularly, triggering tension among people.”
He said the situation was totally different during the 9th parliamentary elections in 2008. “Huge enthusiasm was there among people even before the announcement of the election schedule in 2008. All parties could carry out election campaigns freely and fairly, but now opposition candidates are being obstructed from conducting mass contact and distributing leaflets, canvasing through loudspeakers and hanging and pasting their posters.”
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman told this correspondent yesterday that people are keen to cast their votes, but they are deeply worried whether they will be able to go to polling stations on December 30.
“People could not gain confidence over a peaceful and fair election given the incidents happened so far. Rather, their anxiety is deepening gradually,” he said.
