Voting halted at six Kurigram centres over ‘ballot snatching’

The Election Commission has halted voting at six centres in five upazilas in Kurigram over irregularities during the first phase of upazila election.

The centres are—Hokodanga Government Primary School and Madinatul Ulum Senior Madrasa in Ulipur Upazila, Shibram Primary School in the Sadar Upazila, Kuti Naodanga Forkania Ebtedayi Madrasa in Nageshwari and Dhonar Char Government Primary School in Roumari.

A group of people attacked booth no. 7 in Hokodnga Government Primary School centre at 9:10 am and took away a ballot box and three ballot books, said Presiding Officer Abu Bakar Siddiqui.

Madinatul Ulum Senior Madrasa was attacked at around 10:00 am and the attackers snatched ballot books, said Presiding Officer Mizanur Rahman. Some of the ballot books were recovered but 200 of them are still missing, he said.

Voting was halted at Kuti Naodanga Forkania Ebtedayi Madrasa centre in Nageshwari at 10:40 am over complaints of ballot books being snatched and stamped, said the centre’s Presiding Officer Sadiqur Rahman.

A group of people entered booth no.7 at around 11:00 am, stamped the ballots and put them into the box, said Presiding Officer Mostafizur Rahman in Shibram Primary School centre in the Sadar Upazila.

“They tried to pressure me to give them more ballots and so the authority had to halt the voting in this centre.”

Voting was halted at the Dhonar Char Government Primary School centre in Roumari when a group of people snatched the ballots and tried to put them in the box, said Returning Officer Hafizuddin.

Khaled Shaukat Government Primary School centre in Chilmari Upazila was halted after ballot books were snatched, he added.

The upazila election is being held in five phases in 492 upazilas. The High Court has stayed the voting in Fulbari Upazila in Kurigram following a writ petition.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital is preparing to receive incarcerated BNP chief Khaleda Zia at the recommendation of the medical board overseeing her care.

But police officials on duty at the hospital said that the BNP chairperson would be brought over from the prison on Sunday afternoon.

Khaleda Zia has been imprisoned at the old central jail in Old Dhaka since February, 2018. She has received 17 years in prison over the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.