Election violence: Mathbaria Shechhashebok League leader hacked to death

A Shecchashebok League leader from Pirojpur’s Mathbaria Upazila has been hacked to death.

Pirojpur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 25 March 2019, 10:30 AM
Updated : 25 March 2019, 10:30 AM

The victim, 25-year-old Jony Talukdar, was the vice president of the Halta-Gulishakhali Union Shechhashebok League.

According to local Awami League activists, Jony Talukdar was working on behalf of independent Upazila Parishad chairman candidate Riaz Uddin Ahmed, who is contesting the polls on Mar 31.

Riaz Uddin is competing as an independent candidate under the pineapple election symbol after he failed to secure the Awami League nomination for the upazila chairman post. Riaz’s brother, district Awami League member Ashrafur Rahman, was the former chairman of Mathbaria Upazila.

Ashrafur left the party and his chairman seat to contest the Pirojpur-3 seat (Mathbaria) as an independent candidate. He did not receive the party’s nomination for the upazila polls.

Hossein Mosharraf Saku is the Awami League candidate for the chairman’s post. Saku was attacked on his way back from a rally at the upazila’s Gulishakhali Bazar. He and at least 19 others were injured in the attack.

Saku’s supporters have blamed Riaz’s followers for the attack. The attack in which Jony Talukdar was killed comes only two days after the attack on Saku.

“Jony Talukdar was attacked in connection with the election rivalry,” said Mathbaria OC Shawkat.

Jony was hacked at with sharp weapons in a chaotic attack by supporters of his opposition.

He was recovered, but died on the way to Barishal Medical College Hospital.

The OC said that an individual named Rafiqul Islam had been detained in connection with the attack.