Renegade AL councillor aspirant alleges vote rigged with police’s help

A renegade councillor candidate of the Awami League has accused a ruling party-backed contestant of rigging votes with the help of police at a polling centre in Dhaka North.

Police even had to fire shots to bring the situation under control when the renegade candidate Abul Hasem Hasu’s supporters raised outcry over the alleged rigging at the Mac Genius School centre at Adabor Shekhertek on Tuesday.
 
Voting for Dhaka North and South city polls took place from 8am to 4pm.  
 
Awami League backed Arifur Rahman Tuhin as its councillor candidate in Ward-30.
 
But the party’s ward unit president Hasu contested the poll, defying party decision.
 
Hasu told bdnews24.com: “Tuhin entered the Mac Genius centre along with 25-30 people around 2:30pm. Adabor Police Station OC Gazi Ruhul Imam was present there at the time.”
 
“The situation got tense when my polling agents tried to obstruct Tuhin’s people from stamping on ballot papers. Police fired as people gathered in front of the centre and protested the rigging,” he said.
 
OC Imam denied the allegation of vote rigging with police help.
 
He told bdnews24.com: “I brought the situation under control by firing several shots when Hasu’s people hurled brickbats at police posted outside the centre.”
 
Tuhin could not be reached despite several attempts on mobile phone for his version of the incident.
 
Meanwhile, a youth with bullet wounds was rescued from in front of the polling centre at Maniknagar Model High School in Dhaka South.  
 
He has been identified as Kalu Chandra Shil, 38.
 
Dhaka Medical College Hospital Police Post Sub-inspector Sentu Das said locals brought Shil to the hospital at around 11am.