& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Voting in 32 centres postponed

4 killed, 100 injured on first day of UP polling

By Staff Correspondent
Armed clashes at different voting centres left at least four persons. Ineluding a primary school teacher and a former UP member dead and another 100 persons injured on the first day of the 14-day elections to" the country' s
union partsliads Wednesday.
Polling was postponed at least 32 centres following the killing and other forms of violence like the snatching of bel lot boxes and ballot papers by the unruly mob at some centre*.
On the first day. elections to 599 union parishad* of 77 thanas under 63 districts were held. According to reports reaching Dhaka, the turnout of voters varied from 50 per cent to 60 per cent. Enthusiastic voters lined up Io exercise
their franchise disregarding dense fog and mild rains since 9 In the morning Polling continued UH 5 pm without any break. Barring the trouble-prone centres, voting was held peacefully Our correspondent from Comilia reported that two per sons died and over 25 others sustained wounds when the Supporters of rival candidates clashed at a centre in Ziarkandt Union of Daudkandt upazlla at about 2 pm The dead were identified as Abdul Bart (40). assistant teacher of Baghalrampur Primary School and son of Chan Mia of Village Gopalpur and Nur Mohammad i (19). son of Abdul Awal Sarker of the same village. Polling at the centre was suspended Of the Injured seven were hospl talised. A case was filed In this connection.
Traffic movement on the Chittagong-Dhaka highway re malned suspended for two hours as clashes spread.
According to our Cox's Bazar correspondent. Nurul Haq. an ex-member of All Akbar Dail Union, was killed during exchange of gunshots between two rival groups of people one mile away from Kabl Jaslmuddln under the All Akbar Datl Union of Kutubdia thana High School Centre at 4.15 pm. Several others were also hurt in the armed clashes between the supporters of Nurul Alam and Nurul Basher, both candidates in the elec tlons.
Nurul Haq was the son of Haji Bashir Ahmed of Village All Akbar Dall. Polling at tire centre, however, continued.
According to the election control room in Dhaka, elections to some centres in Rangpur. Narstngdl. and Magura districts were also marked by violence. A mob attacked the Barobeel centre of Gangachhara thana under Rangpur district and snatched four ballot paper books. Police however, recovered those later and polling continued.
At the Uttarkhalia Primary School centre of the same thana, a group of unruly elements reportedly beat the presiding officer in the morn Ing. Ballot boxes were also taken out of the centre during the incident. Police fired 12 shots in the air to bring the situation under control. Voting at the centre was suspended following the untoward tnci dent.
At the women's booth of Gangachhara's polling centre of Alamblthi centre, ballot paper books were also snatched from the booth. Police, however. recovered the papers later. Balloting of the centre was suspended
Police fired four rounds during an abortive move to snatch ballot boxes and balfot papers from the Hajtpur High School centre of Sadar Thana under Magura district Two police constables were injured in an attack by the outsiders at the centre. Voting did not continue there after the incident
Our correspondent said some 43 people were injured when a procession was allegedly fired upon by the rivals at Bamir Bazar of Hoanak Union under Maheshkhali Upazila.
A procession, brought in favour of the union s chairman candidate All Ahmed, led to the exchange of fire between two groups. Seven of the seriously Injured persons were hospitalised.
The election control room further said, polling at Dilarpur Primary School Centre of Narsingdl Sadar Upazila was postponed at 1 pm following clashes between two rival groups. It said, voting was also withheld at three centres of Saifullah Kandt and Khallapur unions of Brahmanbaria district. three centres al Nabiganj of Habiganj district ana Banchharampur of Brahmanbaria district and two of Daudkandl upazila.
UNB adds: The Slrajganj authorities postponed voting In two centres of two unions fol lowing violence like the snatching of ballot boxes, seals and ballot papers.
At least 25 people, including two policemen, a presiding officer and a polling officer, were injured in clashes be tween rival groups at Rajapur and Dukribcra unions in Belkuchl upazila of the district
Miscreants also took away ballot boxes, papers and seals from Kadamtall centre in Rajapur union and Kalyanpur centre in Dukuribera union.
Elections in other unions of Slrajganj district were reported to be peaceful.
At Faridpur clashes, police firing and arrests were reported from some places of 17 unions in Nagarkanda upazila of the district, official sources said.
They, however, added that the percentage of voter turnout in the upazila was satisfactory.
Police opened fire at Bahlrdla centre of Ramkantapur union when chairman candidate MA Hashem and his associated al iegedly forced Into the centre to caste Wise votes.
Authorities postponed the polls in Bahirdla centre at 1 mp
Police arrested an assistant presiding officer at Kodalla centre of Nagarkanda Union In connection with vote rigging
Sporadic clashes between the supporters of rival candi dates were also reported from BauUpara In Fulsuti Union and Talma Primary School centre of Talma Union, both In Nagarkanda upazila of Farldpur district.
Chairman candidate Altaf Hossain of Ramkantapur Union and 1 1 people were Injured tn the clash at Talma Primary School centre.
Yusuf Chowdhury (52). injured in the clash at BauUpara was admitted to Nagarkanda upazila health complex
At Sherpur, union parishad polls in 37 centres of eight unions of Nakla upazila were held peacefully
According to reports reach in here, elections were held peacefully tn 56 centres of 10 unions of Amtall upazila of Borguna district and tn 19 centres of four unions in Chagalnalya upazila of Fenl dis trict.
Our correspondent from Narayanganj said polling at 40 centres of seven unions of Sonargaon upazila were held peacefully
Police held seven persons on charge of false voting.
An unofficial report said nearly 50 per cent of 1.04.185 voters of the seven unions cast their votes. Enthusiastic voters. including women queued up braving dense fog and mild rains. Of the 142 candidates for membership. Abu Slddlq Abu Taher and Nasir Uddin were elected unopposed. Twentynine contested seven posts of chairman
Heavy contingent of police assisted by the volunteers were deployed at the voting centres while the members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were on patrol duty. The Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdur Rouf visited the upazila the eight-hour balloting The Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent of Police and other high officials of the district also went round the polling stations.