Police yesterday arrested two more people for their alleged involvement in the gang rape of a woman in Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila. 

They are Hasan Ali Bulu and Jashim Uddin. Their names were not mentioned in the first information report, but police held them based on information gleaned from other arrested accused.

Elias Sharif, superintendent of Noakhali police, said a team from Char Jabbar Police Station arrested Bulu in Chattogram city's West Madarbari area around noon. Another team held Jashim from Nazirhat in the morning. 

With the two, seven people, including Awami League leader Ruhul Amin who allegedly ordered his accomplices to rape the mother of four for voting for “sheaf of paddy”, have been arrested in connection with the rape that sparked protest and condemnation.

Four of them were mentioned in the FIR. Nine people were sued over the incident.    

The name of Ruhul, also a former union parishad member, was not included in the FIR.

Talking to reporters, the SP said Bulu was the personal assistant to Ruhul. During investigation, it was revealed that Bulu had hired people for Tk 10,000 to rape the woman.

The police officer also said Bulu had an altercation with the victim at a polling station in Sunday's national election and he also threatened her following the quarrel.

“Whoever is the offender will not be spared,” the SP said, adding that they would arrest others involved in the incident soon.

“They will submit a charge sheet of the case and ensure trial of the case at the Speedy Trial Tribunal.”  

The woman was gang-raped allegedly by 10 to 12 accomplices of Ruhul, who is the publicity affairs secretary of Subarnachar AL, at her home early Monday.

Meanwhile, expressing deep concern over the rape, Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday said, “This incident put our democratic and fundamental rights, and the freedom of expression under threat.”

“The incident made us disgraceful as a nation. Such an incident is difficult to imagine in any democratic country.”

He also demanded the perpetrators be brought to book, said a press release of Gonoforum.

A team of Left Democratic Alliance yesterday visited Noakhali General Hospital where the 35-year-old victim was being treated.

It demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and their punishment through quick trial.

Protesting the rape, Chhatra League (JSD-Ambia), student body of a faction of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal led by Sharif Nurul Ambia, formed a human chain in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture on Dhaka University campus yesterday.

In another development, a delegation of 15 senior BNP leaders, led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, will visit Noakhali General Hospital today to enquire about the victim, said a release.

Nearly half of the BNP candidates who took part in Sunday's election lost their security deposits for failing to secure the minimum votes, according to an analysis of the results of 214 constituencies.

This is the highest number of BNP candidates to have lost security money since the party was formed in 1979.

Under the election law, candidates have to deposit a certain amount of money to the government exchequer to stand in the election. The amount is fixed before every election, and it was Tk 20,000 per candidate this year.

To get the money back, candidates must obtain at least one-eighth of the total vote cast in their seats.

But as many as 214 BNP candidates bagged only 13 percent of the total votes. Of them, 101 candidates secured fewer than one-eighth votes and lost their security money, according to the analysis by The Daily Star.

According to the unofficial results from 298 seats, the AL has bagged 259 seats, Jatiya Party 20 and BNP only five seats.

The BNP has never faced such a situation in any election since June 1996, when it became the largest opposition party in parliament with 116 seats. In that election, only 36 BNP candidates lost their security money.

Even in the 2008 polls, when it bagged just 30 seats, only 14 BNP candidates lost their deposits.

In that polls, held under an army-backed caretaker government, the party fielded 260 candidates and won 32 percent of the total votes cast in those constituencies.

The BNP boycotted the 2014 parliamentary polls, as the ruling Awami League government refused to meet its demand for an election under a nonpartisan administration.

This time, its candidates lost their security deposits even in the districts traditionally known as BNP stronghold -- Chattogram, Noakhali, Feni, Cumilla and Natore.

For example, the BNP candidate in Chattagram-1 got only 3,911 votes. In 2008, the party candidate secured 94,665 votes there.

In Cumilla-5, the BNP nominee got 12,113 votes this time, down from 77,260 in 2008. In Feni-2, the party candidate got 1,20,297 votes in 2008 polls and won the seat. In Sunday's election, the BNP aspirant got just 5,784 votes.

In Laxmipur-1, the BNP candidate secured 74,276 votes in 2008. It came down to just 3,892 this time. 

In Natore-1 and 2, the party candidates got 15,338 votes and 13,197 respectively this time, down from over 1 lakh votes in each of these seats in 2008.

BNP today alleged that the Election Commission (EC) is not allowing army personnel in discharging their duties to improve the law and order situation.  

“The Election Commission is not allowing the army personnel to work independently,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed said while addressing a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka.

Citing several instances of attack on BNP candidates, Rizvi alleged, “All the incidents are taking place under the supervision of the prime minister and the chief election commissioner.” 

Rizvi also blasted Awami League President Sheikh Hasina for her comment that the opposition quarter may unleash subversive activities ahead of the election.

“It is well-known to all that AL is a production house of elevated lies,” the BNP leader said.

Rivzi said members of different law enforcement agencies along with the ruling party men have created a terrifying situation by carrying out attacks on the BNP leaders and activists across the country.

The ruling party cadres with the help of police yesterday carried out attacks on BNP candidates and their activists and drove their poling agents, workers and supporters out of their own areas, he said.

Rizvi, also spokesperson of BNP, claimed that around 10,833 leaders and activists of the party were detained since the announcement of the polls schedule on November 8.

Alongside, the ruling party activists carried out around 2,896 attacks on BNP men that left nine people dead, the BNP leader claimed.

Despite this, the countrymen have united in favour of the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol by forming resistances at different places ahead of the election, he added.

WHAT DID PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH HASINA SAY?

Sheikh Hasina yesterday said that the opposition BNP appeared to have sensed their defeat in the December 30 elections which could lead them to sabotage the polls.

“Remain careful about any subversive activity of BNP and their cohorts,” Sheikh Hasina said, wrapping up the election campaign for her Awami League and the ruling party-led Grand Alliance as she addressed four election rallies outside through video conferencing.

Apart from this, an Awami League delegation on the same day handed over a written complaint to the Election Commission (EC) alleging that the BNP-Jamaat alliance was engaged in conspiracies over the Sunday's election to unleash anarchy and violence across the country today.

Only nine out of the 39 registered political parties that contested Sunday's national election have secured parliamentary seats.

The Awami League saw its victory in 259 seats while the Jatiya Oikyafront, comprised of the BNP and other opposition parties, won in only five.

The BNP took part in the polls with its Chairperson Khaleda Zia behind bars on corruption charges.

The Jatiya Party, a component of the AL-led Grand

Alliance, secured 20 seats, the second highest number of seats won by a party.

The Workers Party of Bangladesh became victorious in three constituencies.

Dr Kamal Hossain-led Gono Forum, a key component of Jatiya Oikyafront, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal got two seats each.

Besides, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation and Jatiya Party (Monju) bagged one seat each. Independent candidates won in three out of total 299 constituencies.

Voting was suspended in Brahmanbaria-2 following violence.

Election to Gainbandha-3 is due on January 27 as the Election Commission postponed the polls schedule for the seat after BNP candidate TIM Fazley Rabbi died on December 20.