Anti-polls activists have targeted to set fire on the polling centres, generally that are primary schools, since Thursday night across the country to thwart the polls on Sunday.
The arson attacks on the schools are increasing after the announcement of 48-hour hartal on Friday night by the 18-party alliance calling upon the nation to resist the elections.
Since the announcement of the polls schedule by the Election Commission, the opposition men started violence in the name of blockade, hartal programmes in entire country. Vehicles were set fire that burnt the boarded people alive.
More than 120 people lost their lives in violent clashes, arson, blasts and killing that happened almost every day in the previous back-to-back blockades.
Since November 26, the BNP-led 18-party alliance has enforced a nationwide blockade of roads, rail and waterways for 22 days in phases demanding the cancellation of the January 5 polls.
After people, vehicles, the educational institutions of the country started receiving the bitter experiences of political rivalry.
In the meantime, over 100 schools have been torched across the country allegedly by the activists of BNP-led 18-party alliance as they are not taking part in the January 5 polls.
27 polling centres were torched in eight districts since Friday night.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid Saturday urged the countrymen to prevent schools from being set on fire.
Pointing at the BNP-Jamaat alliance, Nahid said: “They want to take revenge of the defeat in Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, with a view to ruining the future generation through setting fire on schools.”
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad directed the law enforcers’ agencies to prevent the arson attacks on the schools set for using as polling centres.
According to the Constitution, ruling Awami League is determined to hold the national elections on Sunday while the opposition alliance led by the main opposition BNP has pledged to resist the polls at any cost.
