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Southwest waits for polls minus outlaws

PINAKl ROY from Khulna
It seems that the ninth parliamentary election is going to be held today in the southwest region without any influence of the extremists since they have been recently inactive in the area known as their den.
Talking to The Daily Star, different sections of people including law enforcers, journalists, political leaders and NGO activists said the election environment in their areas is similar to that across the country.
Many notorious extremist leaders were killed or fell in cross-fires in the past years and the relief of the voters in this election is palpable, they observed.
Extremist groups used to threat voters, especially the religious minorities, in exchange for money and would also engage in fake voting and snatch ballot boxes to influence election results.
Such groups reportedly worked for a few BNP-Jamaat-
led alliance leaders during and afterthe2001 national polls.
When contacted Deputy Police Commissioner of Khulna Metropolis Md Shahadat Hossain told The Daily Star that he did not hear anything about extremists' activities ahead of the election.
"We have not even heard about any incident of toll collection this time," he said.
Elections in at least three of the six constituencies in Khulna district were greatly influenced by these extremist groups in the past while 15 out of 36 Khulna division constituencies were directly or indirectly influenced by them.
Extremist groups like Purba Banglar Communist Party, Biplobi Communist Party, New Biplobi Communist Party and Purba Banglar Communist Party (Janajuddha) have been active in Khulna, Kushtia, Jhenidah, Jessore, Chuadanga and Mehcrpur districts and parts of Pabna, Sirajganj and Magura for decades.
Their activities increased significantly during the rule of the last BNP-Jamaat-led government. Different political and vested interest groups used to hire them to kill journalists and political leaders from progressive forces.
Islamist extremists also allegedly started working under the shadow of the leftleaning extremists. Extremists killed journalist Harun or Rashid in 2002, Manik Saha on January 15, 2004, and Humayun Kabir Balu on June 24 the same year, and popular Awami League leader Manzurul Imam on August 25, 2003.
"This is well known that anybody could hire the extremists to work for them. But this time we have noticed nothing," said a resident of Khulna, requesting anonymity.
Mofakkhar Hossain Chowdhury and Abdur Rashid of Pur ba Banglar Communist Party and Abdur Rashid Malitha Tapan of Janajuddha were recendy killed in cross fire while New Biplobi Communist Party chief Mrinal 1 Das and his second-in-command Shah Alam were killed in India in 2004.
Locals believe that it will take some time for these extremists to organise again.