Fear will not deter citizens from voting on election day this December 30, the residents of Rajshahi division said.
While many residents of the division admitted that they were fearful of disturbances during the municipal polls, they said they would vote anyway as the campaign period drew to a close yesterday.
Contending candidates traded blame in the northern division as several areas witnessed an escalation of violence ahead of the polls.
In many municipalities, violence was reported wherever the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had rebel candidates contesting the polls.
Rebel candidates of the ruling Awami League alleged that their supporters had been attacked by supporters of the official party-backed candidates.
Inter-party antagonism was also reported throughout the division.
Alamgir Hossain of Chakpara, in Rajshahi’s Baghmara upazila, said he and his family would vote despite a recent bomb attack in the area.
Many voters in other districts expressed similar sentiments.
But Zainal Abedin, a private bank employee in Naogaon sadar, said he would not vote.
Although there were not many political clashes in Naogaon sadar in the lead up to the polls, he said he feared violence by rival camps on election day.
In Bogra and Natore districts, several candidates alleged that local MPs were assisting the ruling party’s candidates in violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Four written complaints have been made so far over disturbances in Rajshahi district. Verbal complaints seem too numerous to count.
According to the Rajshahi Range deputy inspector general (DIG) of police’s office, some 284 polling centres in the division have been classified as risky.
Law enforcers said 75 of 173 centres in Bogra, 39 of 138 in Rajshahi, 25 of 89 in Chapainawabganj, 28 of 80 in Natore, 63 of 138 in Sirajganj, 14 of 38 in Joypurhat, 39 of 49 in Naogaon and 21 of 89 in Pabna were at risk of violent disturbances.
Campaign clashes
In Rajshahi district, BNP candidates also claimed that the police gave them little confidence in the face of ruling party harassment.
When BNP candidate Nazrul Islam Molum was reportedly encircled for an hour early Saturday by ruling party activists while campaigning in the area, local police did not seem eager to provide security for him, they claimed.
In Bogra, BNP candidate AKM Mahabubur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that his supporters had been attacked by the ruling party’s candidate. He said they torched his posters and warned the public not to vote for him.
Another candidate in the district alleged that Bogra 1 MP Abdul Mannan was providing illegal aid to his party’s candidate by printing fake ballot papers.
MP Abdul Mannan denied the allegation, dismissing it as “propaganda.”
On the flip side, 10 people, including Awami League candidate Abdul Bari Khan, were injured in a bomb blast in Nawhata municipality yesterday.
Awami League rebels claimed that the ruling party’s election machine had made it difficult for them to mount effective campaigns.
In Puthia, Awami League rebel candidate and former Chhatra League leader GM Hira Bachchu alleged that Awami League candidate Rabiul Islam had obstructed his campaign.
Meanwhile, in Sirajganj, rebel Awami League candidate Abdur Rahim alleged that the party-backed candidate Halimul Haque had disrupted his campaign in Shahzadpur municipality.
Similar allegations by rebel candidates were reported by our Pabna correspondent.
But reports from Joypurhat district suggest that the municipal elections there could see less violence.
Rajshahi Range DIG office sources said 10,000 police personnel had been deployed throughout the division. In addition, RAB and BGB will be deployed on election day.
Eight armed policemen will be continuously deployed at risky polling centres on election day, Rajshahi Range Deputy Commissioner of Police Iqbal Bahas said. RAB and BGB forces will provide roving patrols throughout the day, he added.