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Cops look on as AL activists fix vote

ROs still say no need to call in army

Staff Correspondent
In a number of polling centres The Daily Star monitored, policemen and other law enforcers stood by or did little as ruling party men were out to rig the polls to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations yesterday.
The Daily Star witnessed how the police looked the other way during incidents of ballot stuffing, intimidation of voters, and attacks on journalists by the supporters of the Awami
League-backed candidates.
Deployed for election duty, the army was kept as a reserve force inside the cantonment and never called in during the election violence yesterday.
The two returning officers of the city corporations in Dhaka, with authority to call in the army, claimed that the situation did not require putting the striking force in action.
Voters at several of the 325 centres this paper monitored also alleged that cops were not around when they
needed them. The 80,000 lawmen in the three city corporations were hardly seen helping voters.
They were inactive when pro-AL student body Bangladesh Chhatra League men and supporters of other AL-backed candidates' gathered and staged showdowns at the gates of polling centres intimidating voters.
"I have cast my vote amid a huge showdown by local goons at the gate of Bangabandhu Biddyaniketen centre. Had the army been deployed, they would not have been there," said a 65-year-old voter.
"If the army is not be deployed in future elections, I will not vote," the voter added.
A sub-inspector wishing anonymity said, "We have petty jobs. We do not have the courage to take any action against them as we have been instructed not to disturb them [AL-backed candidates' supporters|."
As a group of Chhatra League activists entered a polling booth, a subinspector at Kamalapur Sher-e-Bangla Railway High School centre was heard by The Daily Star correspondent say, "We're working for you people ... why do you need to go in?"
In many cases, the Election Commission's decision to keep the army inside cantonments as striking force raised questions.
Although The Daily Star yesterday witnessed at least 13 incidents of violence and clashes that left about 60 people injured, including three people shot, none of the three returning officers called for the army's help.
The chief election commissioner while briefing newsmen at the EC said the army is called in when law and order situation goes beyond the control of regular law enforcers.
Returning officer of Dhaka North City Corporation Shah Alam said he was in contact with the army but did not feel the need to call them in.
Similar views were expressed by the returning officers of Dhaka South City Corporation and Chittagong City Corporation polls.
VIOLENCE AND POLICE
In most incidents of violence and vote rigging during yesterday's polls, law enforcers looked the other way. They stepped in on a few occasions, but their actions appeared too little too late.
Flanked by his men, councillor candidate Golam Mostafa, who was running without AL endorsement, stormed the Bashabo Girls High School centre in Dhaka around 1:30pm. His men then opened fire.
Yasin Hasan Rabbi, 28, a reporter of news portal risingbd.com, among others, were shot. Yasin was shot in his right thigh and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Yasin said he saw policemen inside the centre but they did not act.
In Kamalapur Sher-e-Bangla High
School centre at 11:03am, police assaulted two polling agents of BNP-backed councillor candidate Ismail Hossain as the duo came out of their booths and drew their attention to the vote rigging going on inside.
Instead of taking any action, police confined them to the office of the presiding officer there for half an hour.
The incident later led Ismail's supporters to snatch the ballot boxes, tear some cast ballots and burnt the others. They also beat up the polling officers of the booth in presence of a policeman.
Later, additional police and Border Guard Bangladesh men brought the situation under control.
Two presiding officers of Dhanmondi and Pilkhana told The Daily Star that even though they had informed the higher authorities of ballot stuffing and sought additional forces, they did not get any positive response.
They said they were asked to suspend voting if need be.
Chanting "Joy Bangla" 40 to 50 supporters of a councillor candidate, who was running without his party AL's endorsement, stormed a booth of Uttar Kafrul High School and stuffed ballots.
Following this, around 200 leaders and activists of AL-blessed candidate Mahmuda Begum entered the booth and a clash broke out.
As police tried to break it up, the supporters of Mahmuda snatched two rifles of police and smashed them on the ground.
At least 22 people including the presiding officer of the centre were injured in the incident that also resulted in the suspension of voting for one and a half hours from 11:00am.
At Kalimullahbagh Govt Primary School, a clash between supporters of two councillor candidates around 10:30am resulted in the suspension of voting for around 15 minutes.
BGB personnel went to the scene after the clash.
Chases and counter chases between supporters of a BNP-backed councillor candidate and Chhatra League men in front of Badrunnesa Women's College for halfan hour from 11:30am, created panic.
The councillor's supporters alleged that Chhatra League men smashed their tables and chairs thrice. They had placed them there for a booth to help voters find their way at the polling centre.
Rab personnel later on drove the Chhatra League men away.
Voting was suspended for two hours from 9:30am at Pogos School after a clash between the supporters of the AL-backed councillor candidate and the supporters of his party mate who was running for councillor without AL endorsement.
Police went for action after the clash. They clubbed and drove away the supporters of the unendorsed candidate.
A clash between the supporters of AL-blessed councillor candidate and an unendorsed AL candidate around 2:00pm panicked voters at Bulbul Lalitakala Academy.
Gunshots were heard here and voting was suspended for half an hour.
Preventing voters from entering the centre, Chhatra League activists started stuffing ballots for AL-backed councillor candidate at Kabi Nazrul Govt College centre around 10:00am.
Independent councillor candidate Hazi Md Selim went to the centre around 10:30am and was attacked for protesting. Swedish Ambassador Johan Friseel was trapped inside the centre at that time.
The clash there left several people injured. Police later stepped in and chased the supporters of Selim away.
Locals started vandalising in protest of ballot stuffing at three centres of Suritola Model Govt Primary School around 9:00am. Voting was suspended at two of the centres for three hours. Polling at the other was cancelled.
Police later charged truncheons to disperse the locals.
Many voters outside the centre alleged that their votes had been "cast" before the polling had even started.
AL men occupied the Maniknagar Model High School polling centre and stuffed ballots for over an hour.
Police were seen laid back. Aggrieved voters later locked in clash with police. Five people were injured here.
Supporters of AL-backed councillor candidate and the supporters of his rival candidate, also from AL, locked in clash at Al Jamia Mujahirul Ulum Madrasa centre in Chittagong yesterdaymorning.
In front of Govt Commercial Institute centre in Chittagong, chases and counter chases took place around 10:10am and homemade bombs were exploded when supporters of two candidates were involved in a clash.