& 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

N'ganj-5 By-Election

Independent candidate, civil society fear rigging

Star Report
Independent candidate in Narayanganj-5 by-election SM Akram, along with some civil society members and politicians supporting him, yesterday expressed fear that Jatiya Party candidate Selim Osman might try to capture polling stations and rig votes.
They urged the government, law enforcers, and the Election Commission (EC) to play a neutral role for holding a fair election on Thursday,
They also decided to form a committee led by Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain to monitor the poll situation continuously and to keep pressure on the EC so that it cannot allow irregularities.
All the polling centres are vulnerable and the people of Narayanganj are in fear of violence, rigging, and forcible takeovers of voting centres by Selim's men, claimed Akram.
Most supporters of Selim carry arms during election campaign, he alleged while addressing a roundtable, "Election: Dateline Narayanganj", organised by Nagorik Oikya, a civil society platform, at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital. Meanwhile, Narayanganj Nagorik Parishad, a citizens' body campaigning for Akram, yesterday demanded the deployment of army fearing deterioration of the law and order situation.
At a separate press conference, the Parishad said Selim and his adherents were threatening the voters in different ways, and he was violating the electoral code of conduct during campaigns.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), and Gonoforum have extended support to Akram.
Speaking on the occasion, the Gonoforum chief, Dr Kamal, urged the EC to show its authority and strictly enforce electoral laws. He said people's democratic rights were snatched by the January 5 national election when more than half of the MPs were elected unopposed.
Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said it was clear that the people of Narayanganj did not want misrule, torture and repression any more; they wanted to elect an honest and efficient leader.
The people's rise against injustice and repression will be reflected in the by-poll,
FROM PAGE 3 and it will bring a qualitative change in politics, hoped BSD general secretary Khalequazzamn.
Asif Nazrul, a law professor at Dhaka University, called the Narayanganj-5 election a battle between the evil and well-meaning forces, and said the people would surely reject the evil force.
CPB presidium member Haidar Akbar Khan Rono, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, academician Dilara Zaman, among others, also spoke.
Meanwhile, Commanding Officer of Rapid Action Battalion-11 Anwar Latif Khan said over 1,000 Rab members started patrolling the constituency yesterday to maintain law and order during the poll.