Politicisation of IEB election alleged

Engineers have expressed concern over the election of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) to be held on November 24 as election commissioners for 16 polling centres across the country have been appointed politically.

This is the first time that BNP leaders and supporters who are also the members of Association of Engineers Bangladesh (AEB), engineer wing of the ruling BNP, have been appointed as commissioners in the history of Bangladesh, they said.

Talking to newsmen at a city hotel, leaders of anti-government panel said they have identified some places as the risk centres where the leaders and supporters of government panel in connivance with the election commissioners will grab the polling centres and cast vote illegally.

The vulnerable centres are Bogra, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Pabna, Savar, Kushtia, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Rangpur, Panchagar, Naogaon and Nilphamari, they added.

"Normally teachers of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology are appointed as commissioners, but this year BNP leaders have been appointed as election commissioners," said Engineer Nurul Huda, additional chief engineer of Roads & Highways Department who is contesting the election for the post of president under the anti- government panel.

Leaders of anti-government panel also claimed that the members of pro-government panel are threatening their supporters in different places not to go to the polling centres on the election day.

Besides, minority voters were shifted to other places in the name of training on the election day in last few years, they added.

Engineers of anti-government panel Mesbahur Rahman Tutul, SM Khabiruzzaman, Munir Uddin Ahmed and Sirajul Alam Swapan were present at the press briefing.

A total of 40 central councillors and many local councillors will be elected for 2006 and 2007.