Opponent named as prime suspect in case over Raipura candidate’s death

A murder case has been filed over the killing of Sumon Mia, a candidate running for the post of vice chairman in the Raipura Upazila Parishad elections in Narsingdi.

The victim’s father, Nasir Uddin, filed a case on Friday, two days after the attack on his son, said Shafayet Hossain Palash, chief of Raipura Police Station.

Abid Hossain Rubel of the Methikanda area, one of Sumon’s rivals in the election, was named as the prime suspect in the case. Another 40-50 people were accused in the case, 26 of whom were named.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the case, the police official said.

Sumon and his supporters were attacked when they went to Paratali’s Mamderkandi, a remote char area in the Upazila, on Wednesday ahead of the third round of Upazila polls.

Sumon died after he was taken to the hospital. Rubel’s supporters were alleged to have carried out the attack.

Following the incident, the Election Commission postponed the Raipura election on Thursday.

The EC had suspended all of the Upazila polls due to the death of Sumon, said Md Mosharraf Hossain, the Dhaka region additional election officer and returning officer of the Raipura polls.

Sumon, 40, is the son of Nasir Uddin, the chairman of the Charshubudhi Union Parishad. He was running under the lock symbol in the third phase of the Upazila polls.

At one time he was the joint general secretary of the Narsingdi Government College unit of the Chhatra League.

Five candidates were running for the post of chairman, three for the post of vice chairman and two for woman vice chairman in Raipura.