16 injured during campaigning in Taltali upazila
At least 16 people were injured in a pre-polls violence in Barguna’s Taltali upazila on Friday evening.
Out of the injured, 14 were admitted to different medical facilities including Amtali Upazila Health Complex in Patuakhali and Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
In the fifth and final phase, elections to upazila parishads including in Taltali and 15 other upazilas will be held on June 18.
The incident took place at Lawpara Bazar where supporters of two upazila parishad chairman candidates -- one is nominated by the Awami League (AL), while the other is the incumbent chairman of the upazila parishad and also an AL leader -- clashed during campaigning in the area around 6:00pm.
Taltali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Pulak Chandra Roy said the situation was brought under control.
According to locals, supporters of Rejbi-Ul-Kabir Jomaddar -- the AL-nominated chairman candidate and also president of AL’s Taltali upazila unit -- and his contender Moniruzaman Mintu -- the incumbent Taltali Upazila Parishad chairman from AL ticket -- engaged in heated arguments with each other as they all gathered at Lawpara Bazar for campaigning.
At one stage the arguments turned into chase and counter-chase, when most of them sustained the injuries, they also said.
Police soon arrived at the scene and used truncheons to disperse the clashing rivals, said OC) Pulak, adding that no case was filed in this connection and they deployed police in the area to avert any further untoward situation.
Earlier, on May 21, a total 16 candidates submitted nomination papers to returning officer for various posts in the upcoming election to Taltali Upazila Parishad. Among them four were for the chairman post, nine for male vice chairman post and three for female vice chairman post.
The third candidate for the chairman post is Farhad Hossain alias Akkas Mridha, while the fourth one is Nurul Amin.
The last date for withdrawal of nomination is May 30 and the date for distributing electoral symbols is set for May 31.
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