Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Major Gen Aziz Ahmed has said the shootings at Pirojpur and Cox's Bazar during the first phase of the Union Parishad elections were unexpected.
He made the statement in an inaugural ceremony of a programme held at BGB Headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday morning.
The DG said: “The incidents were unexpected. The people were not cooperating with us [BGB personnel]. The situation forced us to fire gunshots to bring the situation under control.”
He said the BGB members followed the law in the shooting during the clashes.
When speaking about the Pirojpur shooting which left five people dead, Aziz said: “The presiding officer in Mathbaria had rejected some fake ballots but the people were forcing the officer to count them. They confined the officer when he refused to do so.
“The magistrate and BGB officials went to the spot to bring the situation under control. They [BGB] first fired blank shots with the permission of the magistrate but later they were forced to open fire on the people as the situation became uncontrollable.”
As for the Cox's Bazar's incident, he said the clash erupted when the people detained the presiding officer in Teknaf and tried to take over the polling centre.
Five people were shot dead by BGB when they attempted to snatch ballot boxes after the end of polling in Pirojpur’s Mathbaria on Tuesday.
On the same day, a gunfight between supporters of the Awami League candidate and the rival aspirant left Shafik Alam, 25, dead in Majherpara polling station at Shahfarid Dwip under Teknaf’s Shaparan union.
At least eight people were killed in violence centring the first phase of the polls of 712 Union Parishads.