National Citizen Party (NCP) Senior Joint Chief Organizer Ataullah has demanded BNP leader Barrister Rumeen Farhana to be brought under the law.
On Sunday, in a written complaint addressed to the senior secretary of the Election Commission (EC), he held Rumeen Farhana and her supporters responsible for an attack on him at the EC office in Agargaon, Dhaka, earlier on Sunday. The NCP informed this through a press release sent to the media in the evening.
In the complaint, Ataullah wrote: “The Election Commission decided to redraw the boundaries of my constituency, Brahmanbaria-3. When three unions of Bijoynagar upazila were added to Brahmanbaria-2, the local residents were aggrieved. At their request and on their behalf, I filed an objection to the demarcation with the Election Commission. Since then, supporters of Rumeen Farhana have threatened me not to take part in the hearing related to the objection.
“When my representatives and I from the constituency came to the Election Commission to attend the scheduled hearing today (Sunday), your designated officials barred me from entering the hearing venue. Later, just before the hearing began, I managed to enter. At that time, in the presence of you, the chief election commissioner, and other commissioners, Rumeen Farhana’s supporters assaulted me along with leaders and activists from my constituency. This has become a disgraceful chapter in the history of the country.”
Ataullah further mentioned: “Even during the autocratic rule of Hasina, there was no precedent of an attack on anyone in front of commissioners inside the Election Commission. Through this, the capacity of the current Election Commission has also been proven, and this has become a test of what role you can play in a national election.”
Referring to video footage of the incident, he alleged: “When Rumeen Farhana’s supporters were attacking me and NCP leaders and activists, the chief election commissioner and other commissioners were sitting on the stage with their hands on their cheeks.”
He said: “In exchange for the sacrifice of nearly 2,000 martyrs and 30,000 injured July warriors, we gained a new Bangladesh. Bangladesh was meant to be founded on justice, free of discrimination, and rooted in democratic values. You have taken responsibility as secretary, and the commissioners have been appointed, to fulfil that aspiration. Yet today, the activities of Rumin Farhana and your stance have surpassed even Hasina’s regime. This is a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs.”
