Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission on Thursday filed a case against the fisheries and livestock minister, Abdul Latif Biswas, his daughter and four other local Awami League leaders for intervening in polling and violating the electoral code of conduct in the upazila elections.
The commission in the case alleged Latif had assaulted polling personnel, snatched ballot papers and captured polling centres at Belkuchi in Sirajganj.
Nitish Chandra Dey, district election officer 1 of Sirajganj, lodged the case on the commission’s behalf with the ‘Kha’ region of the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court. The EC secretariat on February 3 sent a letter to Nitish, asking him to lodge the case.
Others accused in the case are the Belkuchi Awami League candidate for upazila chairman Md Fazlul Haque Sarker, candidate for vice-chairman Gazi Abdul Hamid Akand, Bhangabari union parishad chairman Abdul Matin Pramanik and Md Hilton Rahman, assistant personal secretary to the minister.
In accordance with the electoral rules, the accused may be fined or imprisoned for a term of two to seven years, or both, if they are found guilty of the offences, which are considered criminal offences.
Another case was filed earlier against the Awami League lawmaker for the Cox’s Bazar 4 constituency (Teknaf-Ukhia), Abdur Rahman Bodi, for assaulting polling personnel during the upazila polls at Teknaf.
The commission was forced to suspend polling in four upazilas, including Belkuchi and Taknaf, over intimidation, capturing of polling centres and snatching of ballot boxes.
The first information report of the case claimed Soma Biswas, daughter of Latif Biswas, along with a number of thugs stormed into the Sohagpur Natunpara Government Primary School polling centre at about 9:00am, when balloting was going on, beat up the presiding officer M Masud Karim, headmaster of the Brahmangram Government Primary School, and snatched the ballot papers.
According to the FIR, Latif Biswas along with his assistant private secretary, after casting his vote at the Alhaj Latifa Shahjahan Girls’ High School centre, stormed into the Sohagpur Natunpara Government Primary School centre at about 10:30am when others accused had occupied the centre.
Due to the presence of the minister, an anarchic situation was created, disrupting the voting process. At one stage, the assistant returning officer suspended polling at the centre. News of the minister’s presence in the polling centre spread to all the other polling centres and spoilt the electoral environment.
The FIR claimed the minister had violated Section 14 and 15 of the Upazila Parishad (Election Code of Conduct) Rule 2008 by entering the polling centre illegally and influencing the polling process. According to the rule, ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and persons enjoying similar status cannot participate in electioneering.
The Election Commission alleged a number of people, led by Fazlul Haque Sarker, Abdul Hamid Akand and Abdul Matin Pramanik, had physically assaulted and injured Mohammad Mosharrof Hossain, upazila election officer of Belkuchi, another officer Touhidul Islam and the upazila education officer at about 2:45pm in the hall of the upazila parishad.
According to the FIR, the witnesses of the case are Sirajganj deputy commissioner Md Humayun Kabir, superintendent of police Md Alamgir Rahman, additional deputy commissioner Md Abdul Qaiyum, Belkuchi UNO Md Nasir Uddin, presiding officer Abul Hashem, assistant presiding officer Md Masud Karim and Bekuchi police officer-in-charge Md Arman Hossain.
The upazila elections, held on January 22, were marked by stuffing of ballot boxes, expulsion of polling agents from polling centres and sporadic violence in which about 200 people were injured.
The commission suspended elections to four, and postponed elections to two, upazila parishads.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
