Attack on Hero Alom, 12pc turnout mark
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for fair polls.
Supporters of Arafat, wearing badges of “boat”, the AL’s electoral symbol, were seen inside many polling stations and their entrances to centres.
Police barred a few journalists from carrying out their duties inside polling booths in at least two centres.
Apart from these incidents, the election was by and large peaceful. Voting began at 8:00am and continued till 4:00pm.
Reporters and photojournalists of The Daily Star visited at least 64 out of total 124 polling stations.
The Dhaka-17 (Gulshan, Banani, Cantonment and Bhasantek) parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of AL lawmaker Akbar Hossain Pathan, an actor popularly known as Farooque, in May.
ATTACK ON HERO ALOM
Supporters of the AL candidate, wearing badges of “boat”, assaulted Hero Alom after forcing him to leave the polling centre at Banani Bidyaniketan School and College in Banani around 3:20pm.
Before heading towards the polling booths, the independent runner took selfies with some fans at the school playground. All of a sudden, 50 to 60 people wearing badges of “boat” came towards Hero Alom and said that it was not a place to shoot TikTok videos.
As the situation worsened, police escorted him towards the main gate of the polling centre.
As Alom was about to leave the place, the ruling party men shoved him from behind and beat him up.
Police said they detained four people.
Returning Officer Monir Hossain Khan later told reporters that Alom went to the polling centre with 50-60 people and the law enforcers took him out to maintain law and order.
“We will probe the incident after collecting footage and take action against those responsible,” he added.
Earlier, Alom expressed doubt about fair polls alleging that his agents were driven out of different polling centres.
‘DUMMY AGENTS’
At least 80 polling agents, other than those of the AL nominee, were unable to identify their candidates.
The Daily Star correspondents visited 65 polling centres yesterday.
Some “agents” claimed that their local “elder brothers” hired them to discharge duties as polling agents.
Morium, a polling agent at booth-5 at the Banani Model School polling centre initially told this newspaper that she didn’t know which candidate she was representing.
After a brief pause, she said that she was working for “Mr Labu”.
As she was told that there was no candidate named Labu, Morium responded, “Labu brought me here.”
Later, the polling agent for the AL candidate asked Marium to say that she was representing Jatiya Party candidate Sikdar Anisur Rahman.
Like Morium, many other polling agents struggled to name the candidates they were working for when correspondents of this newspaper asked them.
After seeking help from the polling agents of the AL nominee, they claimed to be the agents of either the JP or the Jaker Party nominee.
At the polling centre at Manarat International School and College, a man was seen inside booth-2. He introduced himself as Humayun Kabir, a leader of Swechchhasebak League, the volunteer wing of the AL.
Enquired by this newspaper about what he was doing inside the booth, he kept mum.
A polling agent, who was sitting next to Humayun, claimed that the latter was an agent of Hero Alom.
Asked which candidate he was representing and what was the candidate’s electoral symbol, Humayun could not say.
He went out of the polling booth and asked another man whether he knew whose polling agent he was.
“You are an agent of Hero Alom,” said the man wearing a “boat” badge.
LOW TURNOUT
There was a significant difference between posh and poor neighbourhoods in terms of turnout.
Polling centres in Cantonment and Gulshan areas saw a thin presence of voters. Polling officials were seen waiting idly for voters.
At the four polling booths in Adamjee Cantonment College, only 182 out of total 11,257 votes were cast by 1:15pm.
A similar picture was seen at BAF Shaheen College, where only 100 out of 3,394 ballots were cast till 3:30pm.
However, at the polling centre at Jamia Mohammadia Islamia Karail T&T Colony Madrasa, located at the heart of Karail slum, the voters’ presence was comparatively higher.
At least 1,001 votes out of total 10,147 were cast till noon.
FAKE VOTES
At least 100 people who are not voters of Dhaka-17 casted ballots at the Jamia Mohammadia Islamia Karail T&T Colony Madrasa polling centre, a correspondent of this paper saw. They were seen with a list of voters who had not cast their ballots.
During their two-hour stay towards the end of voting at the centre, the correspondent also saw the same persons voting several times.
Many also took photos of their casting fake votes for “boat”.
The Daily Star found a large number of AL supporters gathering in front of the polling centres.
EC’S REACTION
Election Commissioner Md Alamgir yesterday termed the attack on Hero Alom “unfortunate and unexpected”.
Briefing reporters at the EC after the by-election, he said the voting was free, fair, and peaceful.
“The by-election took place in 124 polling centres. You can’t say that the by-election was not free and fair only by analysing the incident that occurred in one centre,” he added.
‘WON’T RUN AGAIN’
Speaking at a press conference at his home in the capital, Alom said he won’t take part in any election under the incumbent government.
“If the polling environment turns out to be like this, if the candidates are attacked, then there is no need to participate in any upcoming elections,” he said after returning home from hospital.
He said the attack on an independent candidate has proved that no fair election can be held under the incumbent government.
He also alleged rigging of votes, but didn’t provide details.
‘ATTACK UNACCEPTABLE’
AL candidate Arafat said, “I think it [the attack] is very much unacceptable. I think a quarter tried to make the election controversial. I urge the Election Commission and the law enforcement agencies to bring the attackers, no matter who they are, to book following a fair investigation.”