The Election Commission (EC) has instructed the Banani police to investigate the allegations made by MP aspirant Ashraful Hossen Alom, also known as Hero Alom, regarding an alleged attack on him during his election campaign in the Sat Tola slum of Mohakhali Dhaka.
The EC received a written complaint from Hero Alom on Wednesday afternoon, prompting immediate action by the commission to identify those involved, Returning Officer Md Munir Hossain Khan told Dhaka Tribune.
Although Alom did not mention any individuals or groups in his written complaint, he verbally informed the commission that a group of supporters of Awami League candidate Mohammad Ali Arafat had attacked him, according to officials. However, Alom did not provide a specific reason for the attack, the officials added.
Banani police station Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman said that upon receiving the information, a team from the station quickly arrived at the scene to bring the situation under control.
However, the police have not yet discovered any clues regarding the cause of the incident.
During an interaction with journalists, Hero Alom explained that a group of 20-25 female members obstructed his entry into the slum near the gate of the icddr,b in Mohakhali at noon on Wednesday.
He further stated that he was repeatedly attacked as he attempted to enter the slum while bypassing the obstruction. Several teenagers and individuals residing in the slum were reported to have participated in the attack.
At one point, Hero Alom sought refuge within the icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) complex.
On the contrary, the women involved in the attack claimed that Alom had previously attacked them, and they were only retaliating.
The Dhaka-17 by-election is scheduled to take place on July 17.