18 killed, 300 hurt
Spearheaded by Jamaat, opposition men yesterday unleashed fierce violence in 29 districts to foil the election, leaving at least 18 people dead and more than 300 injured.
The marauding Jamaat-Shibir and BNP activists clashed with law enforcers and ruling party men, attacked election officials and went on a rampage in more than 350 polling stations across the country.
They torched and snatched ballots from many of these centres during the vote boycotted by the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
Voting was suspended in 539 polling centres in the wake of violence, according to the Election Commission.
Of the dead, three each were reported from Thakurgaon and Dinajpur, two each from Rangpur, Nilphamari and Feni while one each form Munshiganj, Laxmipur, Naogaon, Chittagong, Jessore and Gaibandha.
Meanwhile, Swechchhasebak Dal member Faruk Hossain succumbed to his injuries at Rangpur Medical College Hospital yesterday afternoon, a day after Awami League activists stabbed him during a clash at Patgram in Lalmonirhat.
In Dinajpur, Jamaat-Shibir activists attacked a Hindu-majority village during and after the voting. They damaged and looted 65 houses and 30 shops and set afire paddies stored at courtyards in several homes.
Locals in two villages in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila alleged that Jamaat-BNP men, brandishing lethal weapons, roamed through their areas and threatened them with consequences as they cast their votes.
One of the victims in Dinajpur is Ansar member Wahed Ali. Jamaat-Shibir men beat him to death during an attack on polling officials and Ansar members at Uttar Salandarpur Government Primary School polling centre in Parbatipur around 11:00am, said presiding officer Paban Kumar Sarker.
Five people, including Paban, were also injured in the attack.
Sohel Rana, publicity secretary of district Shibir, claimed responsibility for the killing.
In another incident, Raihan Masud, general secretary of Parbatipur upazila Jubo Jagpa, the youth wing of the 18-party ally Jatiya Ganotantrik Party, was killed as law enforcers opened fire on opposition men who attacked the vehicles of a strike force near Manmathapur Co-operative High School polling centre around 1:00pm.
Chunnu Mia, a BNP activist of Hoiburpur village of Parbatipur upazila, was killed in a clash between the activists of the AL and BNP near Khorakhai Baiswabpara Government Primary School in the upazila.
In Thakurgaon, three BNP activists were killed and 60 people, including several policemen and Ansars, were injured as BNP-Jamaat activists clashed sporadically with law enforcers and ruling party men at different unions of Sadar upazila.
Of the dead, Joynal and Harun of Khagrabari village were killed when police opened fire on a group of BNP-Jamaat activists who tried to seize Basudebpur Government Primary School polling centre around 1:00pm.
Abu Hanif, another BNP activist hailing from Shimuldangi village, died during a clash between the ruling party and BNP-Jamaat men at Goreya Gopalpur Government Primary School centre around 3:00pm. The clash began when opposition men tried to stop people from voting.
The BNP-Jamaat activists also attacked more than 30 polling centres in the upazila and beat up election officials, vandalised polling centres and attempted to snatch ballots. Fearing further violence, officials closed voting in 119 out of the 162 centres in the upazila within 1:00pm, local sources said.
A number of presiding officers alleged that police and strike force members did not stop the attackers despite repeated requests.
In Rangpur, two Jamaat-Shibir activists were killed as law enforcers opened fire to stop a group of Jamaat-Shibir men from capturing a polling centre at Pirgachha upazila, police said.
A group of about 30 swooped on law enforcers with sharp weapons in efforts to occupy Deuty School and College polling centre in Parul union around 2:00am, prompting police to open fire.
The dead are Mirajul Islam Miraj of Gunjorkha Aminpara village and Hadiuzzaman Hadi of Chheckakandi Mirapara village.
Ten others were injured in the incident.
In Nilphamari, two Jamaat-Shibir men were killed when police opened fired on opposition activists trying to torch a polling centre and obstructing voters in Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas.
The dead are Shibir activist Jahangir Alam of Khalishachapani Bepari Tari village in Dimla and Jamaat activist Mamtazul Haque of Kaimari Gabrol Balapara village in Jaldhaka.
Two opposition men were killed in police firing in Feni as activists of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, pro-BNP student and youth wings, were trying to snatch ballot papers from Uttar Char Chandia Government Primary School polling centre under Sonagazi upazila.
The dead are Jamshed Alam, vice-president of Uttar Char Chandia ward Jubo Dal, and Shahidullah, president of the ward Chhatra Dal. Ten other opposition men were also injured.
In Gaibandha, a Shibir activist was killed and 46 people from both ruling AL and opposition parties sustained injuries as Jamaat-Shibir-led opposition activists clashed with AL supporters and police in Sundarganj and Palashbari upazilas.
Voting was suspended in 166 polling centres of the district.
In many of those centres, polls materials could not be sent due to resistance from opposition activists and lack of proper security measures, officials said.
At several centres, opposition men either snatched away polls materials or set those on fire.
Masuder Rahman, presiding officer of Nijpara Govt Primary School centre in Sundarganj, went missing on way to the polling centre, district election control room said.
He was still missing till filing of this report in the early hours of today.
In Munshiganj, Kangkan Mia, Shimulia union unit joint secretary of Chhatra Dal, died when he, chased by law enforcers, jumped into a roadside ditch.
Police chased him after he tried to hurl a petrol bomb at Dakshin Kathadia-Shimulia Government Primary School polling centre around 6:00am under Tongibari upazila, said Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nasreen Parvin.
Police rescued injured Kangkan from the ditch, but he died on the way to the police station.
Shibir activist Mohammad Rubel was killed in Laxmipur and two Shibir men were wounded when police shot at BNP, Jamaat and Shibir activists who attacked the Machhimpur High School polling centre in Ramganj upazila and torched ballot boxes and papers, police said.
In Naogaon, BNP supporter Babul Hossain was killed and six others were injured as joint forces opened fire in Manda upazila in the district. The firing occurred when opposition men, equipped with lethal weapons, were advancing towards two polling centres, ignoring the law enforcers' requests not to do so, police said.
A Shibir activist was killed when police opened fire at Bara Hatiya Bhabanipur Government Primary School at Lohagara upazila in Chittagong after a group of Jamaat-Shibir men attacked the polling centre around 3:30pm.
The dead is Enamul Haque Lalu of Khazur Para in the upazila.
Opposition men attacked polling officials, including the presiding officer of the Baruapara Government Primary School polling centre in the upazila, and looted polling materials, including ballot papers.
In Jessore, a BNP activist was killed when law enforcers opened fire on around 60 Jamaat-Shibir activists who were looting a polling centre and setting fire to ballot papers in Monirampur upazila in the district around 3:00pm.
The dead is Motier Rahman of Biprokona village under Monirampur upazila.
Jamaat-Shibir and BNP activists attacked a polling centre at Baniachang in Habiganj and another at Borolekha upazila in Moulvibazar and beaten four policemen severely. The attackers also torched ballot papers at a centre.
Besides, Jamaat activists allegedly stabbed an assistant presiding officer in Borolekha upazila on Saturday night.
In Bagerhat, supporters of AL candidate Mozammel Hossain allegedly attacked two election offices of two rival AL candidates at Morelganj in the district, injuring six people.
In Magura, voting was marred in at least 45 polling centres in two constituencies as the opposition activists attacked the centres.
They vandalised some of the centres and hurled petrol and crude bombs in some centres, injuring several people, including two Ansar men. They also kept polling officials confined in some of the centres.
Violence took place also after the polls ended in several districts.
In Bogra, at least 25 people were injured in clashes between supporters of AL and BNP at Sonatola municipality around 6:30pm.
AL men cut the tendons of BNP activist Milon and left him critically injured. He was being treated at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in the district.
Both groups hurled at least 10 cocktails at each other. Police fired at least 10 rubber bullets to disperse them.
In Pirojpur, suspected Jamaat-Shibir men hacked two AL men at Chandipur village of Zianagar upazila in the evening.
The injured are Balipara union AL Secretary Mostafa Kamal Hawlader and AL activist Majnu Matubbor.
Witnesses said the Islamist party men attacked the two when they were going to Mostafa's village under police escort around 5:30pm.
Comments