I don't say please to anyone
Ruling party lawmaker Shamim Osman allegedly tried to intimidate an assistant superintendent of police in Narayanganj into letting fake votes be cast for his brother Selim Osman at the by-election yesterday.
“I do not say the word 'please' to anyone. I am Shamim Osman. Listen to me. Why bother listening to the superintendent? Only I can protect you,” ASP Bashir Uddin of Narayanganj claimed that Shamim had said this to him over the phone.
Bashir at Keodhala Govt Primary School polling centre said, “My police officers told me that former Madanpur union parishad chairman Abdus Salam was causing havoc in the voting centre by casting fake votes. So, I called him [the ex-chairman] and told him to cast his vote only and leave.”
Bashir told the media that Salam threatened policemen saying, “If you do not allow me to do what I want, none of you will be able to leave this place with your heads.”
The ASP called in reinforcements in the form of Rab and BGB personnel after his superior instructed him to arrest Salam and his men.
Bashir claimed that a few minutes after he called for reinforcements, he got a call from Shamim Osman.
“Osman said, 'Why did you call them [his superior and reinforcements]? Please leave the centre. It will be 4:00pm soon [polls closing] and at least 70 to 80 percent votes must be cast. Give him [Salam] a clearance to do what he wants',” the ASP told the press.
"He verbally abused and threatened me when I refused to oblige," Bashir said, adding that a general diary had been filed in this connection.
Shamim denied the allegations before the media.
“He [the ASP] is a very petty officer and I do not think I need to comment further on this,” the lawmaker told the press.
The ASP, however, is third in the police chain of command in the district.
Sidestepping the question, Shamim told the media, “What should be the topic of discussion now, him [the ASP] or how the election went?”
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said, "The electoral enquiry committee will investigate the matter. We want to wait for the report which may take two or three days.
"Action will be taken as per investigation," the CEC said at the EC Secretariat.
Selim Osman ran for parliament yesterday from Narayanganj-5 constituency on a Jatiya Party ticket. His brother Shamim is the Awami League MP from Narayanganj-4. Narayanganj-5 fell vacant after their brother Nasim Osman died.
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