Presiding officers say all was normal during city polls

Even the chief election commissioner has admitted to receiving reports of intimidation and preventing entry of journalists at 30 polling booths during the Apr 28 city polls in Dhaka and Chittagong - but presiding officers of these booths contend all was normal during the polls.

On Sunday, 30 presiding officers deposed before an Election Commission enquiry committee headed by Additional Divisional Commissioner Mohammad Anisur Rahman with a senior police and an EC official in it.

One top source in the know of the deliberations told bdnews24.com that not one of the 30 presiding officers admitted to denying access to the media persons.

The presiding officers in oral deposition and written reports consistently claimed no journalist was denied access to booths or were harassed, the source said. 

Presiding Officer Kamal Uddin, who was in charge of the polling booth at Dhaka's Shah Ali Girls School & College, told bdnews24.com: "We have given our reports and stated our positions to the EC enquiry committee. You can find out the details from the committee." 

He refused to elaborate any further.

The convenor of the committee Anisur Rahman did not answer calls on his mobile phone.

The EC representative Abdul Woudud told bdnews24.com: "30 presiding officers have responded. On May 20, the police officials on duty will give their reports. After that, we will speak to media persons, who complained of denial of access to booths." 

He said the final report by the committee will be placed before the EC after examining all the depositions.

After the 28 Apr city polls in Dhaka and Chittagong, the EC constituted two enquiry committees to probe allegations by media persons of denial of access to booths during the polls.

Five points of enquiry

The EC enquiry committee was tasked to look into five points of enquiry .

* How many journalists were present in the polling booth and for how long ?

* the general state of law and order in the polling booth

* whether any incident of harassment, intimidation or denial of access to journalists take place in the booth

* if such incident(s) had happened, did the presiding officer bring it to the notice of senior officials orally

* any other observation related to the polling

30 presiding officers turned up at 11am at the Segun Bagicha office of the Additional Divisional Commissioner.

They were clearly briefed on the specific nature of the enquiry - that it concerned only the issue of denial of access to journalist in their performance of duty during the Apr 28 city polls and not anything else.

The presiding officers summoned had been in charge of 30 polling booths in Dhaka North and South corporation areas, from where complaints of denial of access to journalists had been received.

On Apr 28, CEC Kazi Rakibuddin had admitted to several such complaints throughout the polling hours.

He had promised EC action whenever and wherever the complaints were found to be correct.