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ROs asked to sue persons showing used ballot papers

Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday decided to direct recent parliamentary election's returning officers (ROs), who are also deputy commissioners, to take legal actions against any person exhibiting ballot papers used in the poll.
The decision came as a part of the commission's effort to thwart some quarter's noticeable attempts to give rise to controversies regarding the recent election.
EC Secretariat officials said they will send letters to all ROs in a day or two directing them to file criminal cases through
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police against the offenders and to open investigations of such incidents.
According to the amended Representation of the People Order (RPO), exhibiting ballot papers outside polling stations is a crime punishable by three to seven years of imprisonment and fines.
"The police are supposed to automatically file cases against exhibition of ballot papers. They however have yet to take action. We have decided to ask them to file cases against persons who will exhibit ballot papers." Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told reporters in his office after a meeting of the EC.
BNP Office Secretary Rizvi
Ahmed on Friday and Saturday at media briefings exhibited at least four ballot papers of December 29, 2008 poll claiming the existence of those outside ballot boxes prove rigging of the election.
The exhibited ballot papers were stamped in favour of ’sheaf of paddy’, the electoral symbol of BNP.
When the election commissioner's attention was drawn to the incidents without mentioning Rizvi's name, he said the news of the briefings came to their attention through newspapers and satellite television channels.
"No matter who the person is, actions will be taken against any person exhibiting ballot papers," Sakhawat said.
A provision in RPO says a person is guilty of an offence
punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term, which may extend to seven years and shall not be less than three years and also with fines, if the person is found possessing any ballot paper or ballot paper book, or is seen exhibiting them before the members of the public outside polling stations.
The provision was included in RPO before the election in a bid to stop the unethical practice of smuggling ballot papers out of polling stations in efforts to claim that an election was rigged if a candidate failed to get elected.
In previous elections, it had been reported that some candidates and activists of some political parties, in fear of defeats, had resorted to such practice.