BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday alleged that people's voting rights were snatched again during the December 30 parliamentary polls.

“And through snatching this voting rights, the Awami League and the administration have completely become public enemy,” he said.

The BNP leader was talking to reporters in Cumilla on his way to Noakhali to visit the Subarnochar woman who was allegedly gang-raped after the election early on December 31.

Fakhrul said an “anarchic and terrifying” situation has been created all over the country due to violent incidents ahead of the polls, on the voting day and afterwards.

Condemning the rape incident and other polls-related violence, he called upon the people to stand against such incidents.

Fakhrul also said his party has already informed the authorities concerned, especially the Election Commission, about the role they should play to bring an end to violence.

“We are calling upon the authorities concerned to stop this violence completely,” he added.

Social instability and rigid stances of union parishad polls candidates were responsible for the election violence, claimed Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday.

“Unrest is witnessed at every layer of our society and this is one of the major causes for the poll violence … we have to bring a change in our social concept,” Rakibuddin said at a post-polls press conference at the EC Secretariat when asked who was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people during the union parishad polls.

The CEC came up with the response hours after ruling Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif made a statement with a similar tune. He had blamed social conflict and instability for violence in the UP polls.

After a meeting at the AL chief's Dhanmondi office around 11:30am, Hanif said no government wants violence as it tarnishes the image of the government.

"All the political parties along with the ruling party should come forward to face such sort of unrest," he added.

The BNP, meanwhile, alleged that both the government and the Election Commission (EC) were responsible for the irregularities and violence during the UP elections.

CEC Rakibuddin said the situation has "definitely improved" in the last phase of the polls as they had been able to stop the election-eve ballot box stuffing. 

“The value of life is coming down while the cost of everything is going up. We are witnessing minors being killed over silly social feuds,” he said.

Referring to media reports on election violence, he said apart from some stray incidents, voting in yesterday's polls was fair and peaceful.   

He said the EC does not want to see any deaths but it some times has to take appropriate measures to protect voting centres, the voters, electoral officials and assets of the states.

He said the union parishad polls were more competitive than others and it was one of the reasons for the deaths.

The CEC also blamed the rigid attitudes of candidates. He said some candidates had tried to win the race at any cost disregarding what the voters thought of him or her.

BNP'S REACTION

BNP Vice-Chairman Selima Rahman, after a meeting with the CEC at his office, yesterday alleged that the government and the EC were responsible for the irregularities and violence during all phases of the UP polls.

She alleged that in every election they filed complaints with the CEC and every time he told them that he was taking measures but the situation remained unchanged. 

She said the EC was not working fairly as it was working under the Awami League-led government.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed today said the overall achievement of the Election Commission to hold a free and fair Union Parishad polls has been marred as irregularities took place in some unions during the second phase polls.

“The 2nd phase UP polls were held in a peaceful manner, but our total achievement has gone in vain as irregularities took place in some unions during the polls,” the CEC made the observation at a post-poll briefing held at the EC secretariat.

Voting at around 33 centres was suspended as the law and order situation went out of control, the CEC said.

At least one person was killed and over a dozen were injured in violence over union parishad polls in several districts in last two days.

With this, around 115 people have been killed so far in poll-related violence since the announcement of the election schedule in February, according to media reports and Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik.

In Narsingdi, a youth was killed and 10 people were injured and 10 houses were vandalised during a clash between supporters of a defeated chairman candidate and newly elected chairman of Nilakkya union in Raipura upazila yesterday.

The dead is Liton Miah, 28, of Amirabad village in the same union.

The clash broke when supporters of Chairman Tajul Islam attacked the supporters of Abdul Haque Sarker at Atoshali Bazar area around noon.

A supporter of Sarker, Liton died on the spot when a crude bomb went off, said witnesses.

Azaharul lslam, officer-in-charge of Raipura Police Station, said additional law enforcers were deployed there to avoid further clashes.

Election to the UP was held on May 7.

In Bogra, at least four BNP men were injured in an attack allegedly by some Awami League men in Gohali Bazar of Gohali union in Shahjahanpur upazila on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack took place when some BNP men were electioneering for the party chairman candidate.

In Manikganj, some Hindus formed human chain in front of the district press club yesterday demanding punishment of attackers of Ananda Saha, a defeated independent chairman aspirant at Bhararia union under Manikganj Sadar upazila.

They alleged that supporters of AL candidate Anwar Hossain Angur launched an attack on Ananda, his brother Chandan Saha and some of his supporters around 11:45pm on Monday when they were taking tea at Amar Kanon tea stall at Bhararia Bazar.

Armed with iron rods, bamboo sticks and sharp weapons, the attackers beat them up and looted gold jewellery worth about Tk 3.45 lakh and mobile handsets worth around Tk 60,000 from them, alleged the protesters.

The May 28 polls to the UP saw independent candidate Abdul Kader unofficially elected chairman.

[Our correspondents in Narsingdi, Bogra and Manikganj contributed to this report.]

At least 15 people were injured and 13 others arrested over violence in two districts yesterday, two days before the 11th parliamentary polls.

In Noakhali, three youths were injured in an explosion while making bombs in Companiganj upazila's Chairman Bari area in the morning, police said.

Law enforcers could not confirm the identities of the injured.

Polls violence subsided yesterday as the number of such incidents and casualties decreased compared to the last few days.

Meanwhile, Awami League Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak yesterday alleged that six ruling party men were killed by BNP men during electioneering.

“BNP men attacked and injured 445 leaders and activists of our party and vandalised 174 election camps. We urge the police to arrest these hoodlums,” Nanak said at a press conference at the AL chief's Dhanmondi office in the capital.

According to media reports, motorcades and polls campaigns of at least 56 candidates, mostly of the BNP's, came under attack; some 1,190 people were injured and over 800 BNP-Jamaat men arrested during the electioneering between December 10 and 28 for the parliamentary polls.

Campaigning for tomorrow's national election ended at 8:00am yesterday.

At least 15 people were wounded in a clash between supporters of AL nominee Kazi Zafarullah and independent candidate Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, widely known as Nixon Chowdhury, in Faridpur-4 yesterday over establishing supremacy in Bhanga upazila's Moheshwardi village.

Witnesses said supporters of the two rival candidates were campaigning informally in the village around noon. At one stage, they got involved in an altercation and clashed using lethal weapons.

Police and BGB teams later rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Talking to journalists, Nixon's supporter Md Azam alleged that two supporters of Zafarullah beat him up without provocation.

Ashad Matubbar, supporter of the AL candidate, claimed Azam phoned him and threatened not to seek vote for ZafarUllah.

Both the rival groups denied the allegations against each other.

Additional policemen were deployed in the area to avoid further violence.

In Chandpur, police picked up 13 alleged BNP men following a clash between “criminals” and the opposition party men at the Rupsha house of Chandpur-4 BNP candidate Harunur Rashid in Faridganj upazila around noon.

Witness said a group of bike-riding criminals reached near Rashid's house and attacked it. As the BNP men tried to resist the attackers, the clash broke out.

Police later brought the situation under control.

Faridganj OC Ohidul Islam said they picked up 13 people in connection with the incident. The BNP claimed the arrestees to be its activists.

In Sunamganj, police arrested BNP leaders Abdul Motaleb Khan, also chairman of Dharmapasha upazila, and Harunur Rashid, former general secretary of Dowarabazar upazila BNP yesterday evening.

Police said the two were accused in sabotage cases.

N'GANJ CANDIDATE QUITS RACE

In Narayanganj-3, independent candidate Abdullah Al Kaiser last night announced that he was withdrawing from the polls in the face of pressure from the administration and considering the security of his supporters.

He made the announcement while talking to journalists at his Mograpara home in Sonargaon upazila around 9:00pm, hours after a joint team of police, BGB and Rab, led by an executive magistrate, raided his house.

Sazzad Roman, inspector (Special Branch) of Narayanganj police, said the raid was conducted on information that Kaiser was holding a “secret meeting” to commit subversive activities.

Shahinur Rahman, assistant returning officer in the district, said he didn't receive any compliant from any candidate about facing pressure from the administration.

In Tangail-3, BNP candidate Lutfar Rahman Khan Azad at a press conference yesterday demanded withdrawal of Maksudul Alam and Amirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ghatail Police Station and in-charge of Dhalapara Police Outpost, for allegedly threatening his possible polling agents not to go to the polling centres on the voting day.

Amirul, however, denied the allegation.

Despite repeated attempts, The Daily Star could not reach Maksudul over the phone for comments.

In Cumilla, police were forced to release an AL man after the ruling party activists laid seize to Kotwali Model Police Station yesterday.

Police detained Syed Raihan, 40, son of local AL leader Abir Ahmed Photo, also a ward councillor of Cumilla City Corporation, in the city around 2:00pm.

Hearing the news, around 500 AL men laid seize to the police station. Law enforcers freed the detainee around 4:45pm, said locals.

Talking to journalists, Abir said, “Police detained Raihan from Mogoltuli area after Juma prayers without any specific allegation. Locals protested the incident and laid seize to the police station demanding his release.”

Abu Salam Mia, OC of the police station, said Raihan was detained due to a “misunderstanding”.

In Meherpur, criminals hurled two bombs at the house of district BNP Joint Secretary Abdul Awal Biswas in Gangni upazila's Bamundi village around 9:30pm on Thursday.

On the same night, Faridpur police in separate drives arrested seven BNP men from different areas of Boalmari Municipality.

Our district correspondents contributed to this report.