Deadly violence broke out in seven districts during yesterday’s polls to 835 union parishad as supporters of ruling Awami League nominees and those of the party “rebels” clashed, leaving at least seven people dead and 60 others injured.

The festive mood of the second phase of the polls to the lowest tier of local government was largely marred by ballot stuffing and occupation of the polling centres in 13 districts.

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During the first phase of the UP polls in June and September, six people were killed.

There had been concerns over violence in the second phase as clashes took place in many places in the run-up to the election, leaving at least 18 dead. The election was shunned by the major opposition parties.

Yesterday’s deadliest violence was in Banshgari, Narsingdi, where at least three men were killed, two of them of bullet wounds. Five others were injured in a clash between the followers of two chairman aspirants.

Two others were killed in Cumilla and one each in Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram districts as elections.

In Shariatpur, two journalists alleged that they were assaulted while filming the ruling party men stuffing a ballot box at Doshrashi Ebtedayee Madrasa in Tulshar UP.

Contacted, AL chairman nominee Jamal Hossain said none of his supporters attacked any journalist.

Law enforcers detained 17 men in Manikganj, five in Feni and two in Jashore on charges of breach of electoral code of conduct.

Election Commission Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker last night told reporters that the individuals participating in the polls “become too eager to win. This is the reason why violence happens during elections”.

Contacted in the evening, he told The Daily Star that he thought the election was a good one. “In some places, there was violence outside the polling centre. The candidates were involved in clashes. But they could not enter the premises of the polling centres.”

The secretary also informed that voting was postponed at 10 polling centres and said an estimated 65-70 percent of the voters turned up.

Those who died in Banshgari under Raipura, Narsingdi, were identified as Dulal Miah, 40, Salauddin Mia, 30, and Jahangir, 26. They died in a clash around 6:00am, two hours before the voting started in the UP, said Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Satyajit Kumar Ghosh.

The clash happened between the supporters of AL chairman nominee Ashraful Haque, who is also the incumbent chairman of the UP, and those of Ratul Hasan Zaki, a disgruntled local AL leader who ran as an independent after the ruling party did not nominate him. The latter is the acting president of Banshgari Union AL.

The fight began as supporters of both the local leaders tried to take control of the polling centre at Bottoli Primary School.

Ashraful’s supporters Dulal and Salauddin were shot dead. Jahangir was a supporter of Ratul, said locals and police.

In Cumilla, Shaon Ahmed, a resident of Manikar Char UP, and Sanaullah Dhali, 60, a resident of Bahurkhola UP, died in clashes that left 13 others injured, some of whom got shot.

Sanaullah died in an ambulance on the way to Dhaka after he was critically injured in a clash between two UP member aspirants at a primary school around 11:30am.

The second incident happened around 12:00pm at Manikar Char UP where supporters of AL chairman nominee Zakir Hossain and those of AL rebel Harun-or-Rashid began fighting over taking control of a polling centre. Shaon was shot dead and 10 others were injured.

The deaths were confirmed by Abdul Mazid, officer-in-charge of Meghna Police station.

In Cox’s Bazar, a man was killed and nine others, including three policemen, were injured during a clash between followers of two member candidates in Khurushkul UP.

Akhtaruzzaman Putu, 35, of Guillabaper Para area, died in a clash at Tetaiya Government Primary School around 12:30pm, said Presiding Officer Nurul Huda.

In Chattogram, Superintendent of Police SM Rashidul Haque said that a man named Shafi, 55, a resident of Lalpur area, was stabbed to death and 20 others were injured in a clash between activists of two member candidates in Lelang UP of Fatikchhari.

In Natore, a journalist and an independent chairman candidate were among the nine men injured in clashes in three UPs.

In Bogura, an AL activist was stabbed outside a polling centre at Khanpur UP of Sherpur upazila.

Irregularities were reported in different districts including Pabna and Moulvibazar.



Union Parishad Elections 2021: Seven lives lost, scores hurt
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