AL, rebel candidate supporters clash at polling centre, crude bombs found

Supporters of ruling Awami League candidate and rebel candidate of the Chapainawabganj-3 by-election clashed at a polling centre on Wednesday morning, where at least eight from both sides sustained injuries.

The clash took place at Chapainawabganj Zilla Adarsha High School within a few minutes of the voting in the by-election began in the morning.

Witnesses said that soon after the voting began at around 8:30am, supporters of Awami League candidate Md. Abdul Wadud and the party’s rebel candidate Samiul Haque alias Liton started chanting slogans aiming at the other supporter group.

The tension kept escalating and at one point, supporters of both the candidates got embroiled in a clash. At 8:50 am, additional police and magistrate arrived at the spot and tried to deescalate the situation. At one point, the main gate of the polling centre was closed.

The two supporter groups kept chanting slogans and counter-slogans at the road outside the centre till 9:45 am. Then RAB came to the spot and dispersed both the groups of supporters.

After the situation calmed down a bit, the newspersons went inside the centre where an unexploded crude bomb was seen. Members of the law enforcement agencies began working to remove the crude bomb after 10:30 am.

The rebel candidate Samiul was present during the clashes. The Awami League supporters alleged that Samiul instigated the clash. An Awami League supporter Kawsar Ali said, he was standing at the queue to cast his vote. But the rebel candidate’s supporters dragged him out of the line. He claimed that 30-35 supporters of the Awami League rebel leader stopped him from voting.

He also claimed that Samiul was present when all of this happened. At one point, Samiul’s followers attacked the Awami League supporters.

Awami League supporters Robiul Islam, 40, Shahbul Islam, 42, and school’s security guard Rakibul sustained injuries.

Shahbul, one of the injured persons, said that the supporters of the opposing candidate beat him up. He alleged that Samiul’s supporter Alamgir Hossain led the attack.

However, declining the allegations, Alamgir, who is Samiul’s election campaign’s joint convener, told Prothom Alo that people inside the polling centre told him, “If you give slogans for apple (Samiul’s electoral symbol), get out of here.”

At one point, he was dragged out of the voter’s queue. This incident sparked the clash.

Samiul, who was present at the centre, told the newspersons, “For no reason, the 'boat' supporters attacked my supporters. I’ve received news of disorder at two other centres. Seeing the chaotic situation the 'boat' supporters have created from the very start of the polls, the administration needs to be more careful.”

The centre’s presiding officer Md. Shahiduzzaman said, seeing the agitated supporters of both candidates, he ordered the law enforcement members to escort everyone out of the centre other than the voters.

He also said that clashes were the outcome of turmoil inside the party and it had no effect on the election.

Some 172 presiding officers, 1240 assistant presiding officer and 2480 polling officials are conducting the elections at the constituency. The total number of voters at the constituency is 411,495 and the number of centres is 172.

BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid resigned from the Chapainawabganj-3 constituency and the by-election is taking place to fill his spot.

Other than Wadud and Samiul, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) candidate Kamruzzaman Khan (television) is also contesting in the constituency.