Khulna, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur: Sporadic violence mars voting
Voting was held peacefully in six Khulna constituencies yesterday, marred only by a handful of isolated incidents.
Returning officer Khandker Yasir Arefin, however, claimed no untoward incident took place.
In Khulna-3 constituency, miscreants set fire to Dakshin Karigarpara Government Primary School centre around midnight, damaging all voting materials.
Confirming it, OC Probir Kumar Biswas of Daulatpur Police Station said new voting materials were provided before polls began yesterday morning.
Presiding officer Md Jasim Uddin said he took charge of the centre at 7:00am with full setup, and conducted polls, while the headteacher's room, which was burnt, remained in police custody.
In Khulna-5, a fake polling agent was arrested at Shobna Birajmani Secondary School centre in Dumuria upazila around 11:00am yesterday.
The arrestee, Zillur Bagati from Pur-Shobna village, was working as a polling agent of AL candidate, but could not show his documents, said Ismail Hossain, executive magistrate in charge of the area.
In Jhalakathi's Nalchhity upazila, 54 ballots were cancelled at Magar Government Primary School centre after local union parishad chairman Md Shahin Hossain allegedly snatched ballot papers from the assistant presiding officer and forcibly stuffed those.
Confirming the matter, Nalchhity UNO and ARO of Jhalakathi Md Nazrul Islam said the presiding officer of the centre Mofazzel Hossain Howlader informed him the matter and suspended voting for half an hour from 10:30am. The disputed ballots have been cancelled, he added.
Contacted, Shahin Hossain denied the allegation and termed it a "misunderstanding".
In Pirojpur Sadar upazila, a youth was sentenced to two years in jail and fined Tk 10,000 for casting fake vote at Badura Government Primary School centre, confirmed presiding officer Ali Asgar Nasir.
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