Leaders of a committee formed by the BNP’s Khulna city and district units for coordination tasks of the upcoming municipal elections demanded the removal of the officer-in-charge of Paikgachha police station on various allegations yesterday.
They raised the demand in a memorandum submitted to the deputy commissioner at noon.
The allegations mentioned in the memorandum inlcude the occupation of BNP’s election offices by Awami League members, police raids on BNP members’ houses in the name of operations to check militancy, extorting money from BNP members, and also threatening them not to join electioneering.
A copy of the memorandum was also sent to the chief election commissioner via fax.
The coordination committee leaders claimed that the officer-in-charge of Paikgachha police station, Ashrafuzzaman, had threatened several top BNP leaders of the district, including chief election agent of the mayor candidate Dr Abdul Majid and Paikgachha upazila BNP’s General Secretary advocate Abu Sayeed, to refrain from campaigning or face arrest.
They alleged that local Jubo League members attacked and took over the election office of a BNP candidate in Paikgachha’s Saral Bazar area on December 19, while OC Ashrafuzzaman and Awami League leaders asked BNP members not to join campaigns a day earlier.
The committee leaders also claimed that the Dakop upazila nirbahi officer had compared watching TV at BNP candidates’ office with violation of electoral code of conduct.
They urged the authorities concerned to take legal actions against the irregularities.
