3 dead as violence erupts during Narsingdi union council election

At least three people have died after a clash between supporters of rival candidates in the union council elections in Narsingdi’s Raipura Upazila.

The incident occurred in a remote part of Bashgari Union, said Satyajit Kumar Ghosh, assistant superintendent of police of the Raipura Circle.

“We have received reports of at least three deaths following the clash.”

The dead have been identified as Dulal Mia, 45, Salauddin, 41, and Jahangir Mia, 26.

At least 20 others have been wounded by gunfire and spears during the violence.

Locals said that Dulal Mia, a supporter of Awami League chairman candidate Ashraful Haq, was on his way to vote at the Bashgari Union Parishad Complex polling centre at 8 am when he was shot by supporters of another chairman candidate Zakir Hossain.

When the news spread, supporters of the two candidates clashed.

Salauddin and Jahangir Mia, both supporters of Zakir, were shot and killed in the fray.

The union council election was suspended for about an hour and a half before it was restarted by the intervention of local authorities.

Voters are now casting their ballots under a pall of fear.

At least 10 people have also been injured in a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates outside the Karimganj Government Primary School polling centre at Amirganj Union in the same upazila.

Voting there was suspended for some time but resumed after local authorities intervened.