EC halts voting in two Sylhet centres, magistrate injured in clashes

Several polling centres have witnessed clashes among supporters of different councillor candidates for the Sylhet city polls. The clashes left four people, including a magistrate, injured.

Allegations of snatching ballot papers and clashes have forced the Election Commission to postpone the voting in two polling centres.
 
At least three people were wounded after police opened fire to control the clashes. 
 
Motiur Rahman, an on-duty magistrate, was passing through the Kumarpara area around 1:30pm when supporters of two councillor candidates engaged in clashes, according to Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Numeri Zaman.
 
At that time, Rahman was injured as the windshield of his car was pelted with brickbats and a shard of glass struck his nose. 
 
Rahman was then taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.
 
“I was caught in the clashes while passing through the area. I’m back on duty,” Rahman told bdnews24.com.
 
Earlier, supporters of  two councillors candidates—SM Shawkat Amin Touhid and Dinar Khan Hasu—clashed around 1pm near the Bakhtiar Bibi Government Primary School centre in Ward No. 19.
 
They were trying to snatch the ballot boxes. Police opened fire to bring the clashes under control, leaving three people injured, said Executive Magistrate Ataul Gani Osmani who was on duty at the polling centre.
 
He, however, could not immediately identify the names of the injured.
 
“They came in groups and stormed three rooms. When the police resisted them, they pointed firearms at the police. Later the police opened fire.”

DISRUPTIONS TO ELECTION

“Voting was halted for about an hour at the polling station. I was locked from outside. However, they failed to snatch the ballot boxes,” said Mohammad Abul Kashem, presiding officer of the polling station.  

Meanwhile, the Election Commission suspended voting at two polling stations—Shah Gazi Syed Borhan Uddin Madrasa and Hobinondi Government Primary School—around 2pm on allegations of massive rigging.

Earlier, voting was suspended for about 45 minutes from 11pm at Mirabazar’s Model High School polling centre due to the clashes between supporters of two councilors—ABM Zillur Rahman Ujjal and Sajed Ahmed Chowdhury.

Ujjal alleged that supporters of Radio and Kite symbols stuffed the ballot boxes with fake votes in the morning.

“Voting resumed around 12pm after temporary suspension,” Kazi Ashikur Rahman, presiding officer of the centre, told bdnews24.com.

Awami League-backed candidate Bodor Uddin Ahmed Kamran was also present during the turmoil at the Mirabazar’s Model School centre.

Voter turnout at Sadipur’s Syed Hatem Ali High School centre was thin. No agents of BNP were seen in the five rooms of the polling station.

The ballot papers ran out at around 10am at the Nabin Chandra Government Primary School centre in Ward No. 20.

Many of the voters in Ward No. 21 complained that they were told their votes were already cast.

DEMAND FOR RE-ELECTION

Brining allegations of massive irregularities in the Sylhet city polls, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, the BNP candidate for mayor, demanded re-election.

He lodged complaints of fake votes cast by the Awami League supporters to Returning Officer Alimuzzaman five hours after the vote started on Monday. 

“People have never seen such a shameless election. Awami League supporters have occupied 42 polling centres,” he told reporters.

“I visited different centres and saw Awami League and Chhatra League activists stuffing ballot boxes with fake votes.” Security forces were silent, he alleged.

Returning Officer Alimuzzaman said: “We are investigating all the allegations.”

The bdnews24.com correspondent visited the city’s several polling centres and did not see the BNP polling agents there.