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Khondoker Rafiqul Islam, additional inspector general (crime and operations) at Police Headquarters, told The Daily Star that election-time violence is not new and urged people not to treat it as something unusual.

“It is unfortunate,” he said, adding that Bangladesh has often failed to move beyond a culture of confrontation during elections.

Rafiqul said police, other law enforcement agencies and returning officers are trying to bring rival sides to the table and ensure that the electoral code of conduct is followed.

But he said many people do not heed advice and act with “other agendas”.

Referring to the Sherpur killing, he said a manifesto-reading programme that should have been orderly turned into chair-throwing, clashes and, eventually, a death.

Rafiqul said police tried to move the groups in different directions, but tensions continued for hours as the sides stayed close to one another.

He said cases have been filed against those responsible.

Tawohidul Haque, an associate professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research, however, said the measures taken by law enforcement agencies on the ground were “very weak”.

He said the Election Commission is only issuing verbal warnings, with no visible steps on the field.

Tawohidul said political parties also bear responsibility, as public expectations of political leaders and activists after the July uprising have not been reflected in their conduct.

“They are behaving violently as before,” he said.

An analysis of reported incidents since January 22 shows that most clashes have taken place between the BNP-led alliance and the Jamaat-led alliance.

In recent days, election-related clashes were reported in at least seven places, including Dhaka, Faridpur, Cumilla, Shariatpur, Sherpur, Pabna, Chattogram and Bhola.

HRSS said several women activists faced attacks, beatings and humiliation while campaigning in different districts, as political vendettas spilt onto the streets.

Such acts undermine women’s political participation and interfere with civic and voting rights, personal freedom and freedom of expression, it said.

A high official at Police Headquarters told The Daily Star that their analysis of recent violence found clashes were fuelled by rumours, offensive posts and provocative information on Facebook, alongside local disputes.

“We reviewed such information and took necessary measures,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday said, “We hope the coming days will be much better. With the gradual deployment of security forces, the situation will further improve.”

Responding to a question while briefing journalists at the Foreign Service Academy, Shafiqul said political parties have so far shown restraint and tolerance while carrying out election campaigns.

Noting that according to police data, four people have been killed so far since the formal election campaign began on January 22, he said, “If you compare this with previous elections, though it is tough to reach a conclusion as two weeks are still left to the polls, you will see that 115 people were killed before the elections on January 5, 2014.”

“In that reality, we believe there is still a sufficient level of tolerance among the political parties. They are campaigning in a good manner, and they are abiding by electoral laws and following the code of conduct,” the press secretary said.

He, however, acknowledged that “a few isolated incidents” have taken place.