Separate complaints over voter transfers, harassment of female activists

Claiming that a large number of voters have been transferred in Dhaka city and other parts of the country over the past one to one-and-a-half years, the BNP has said that the unusually high increase in voters in certain constituencies is abnormal. The party has sought constituency-wise data on voter transfers from the Election Commission (EC).

A BNP delegation raised these complaints, among others, during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin yesterday, Sunday. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami submitted a separate complaint to the CEC, alleging that its female activists are being subjected to abuse and harassment while campaigning.

Yesterday afternoon, a BNP delegation met the CEC at the Election Building in Agargaon of the capital. After the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that they had raised the issue of voter transfers.

According to him, the EC said that the number of transfers was not very high and that no constituency had more than two to three thousand transferred voters. However, the BNP was not satisfied with this explanation.

Nazrul Islam Khan said that in reality, far more voters have been transferred and that those who supplied information to the EC did not provide accurate data. The BNP has therefore requested constituency-wise information on voter transfers from the EC.

He also alleged that proper action was not being taken against violations of the electoral code of conduct in various areas. He said that some individuals were using religious sentiment and belief to campaign in favour of certain parties, yet the EC was not taking action.

The BNP leader further said they had heard that members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) might be engaged in election-related duties for the first time, although the decision was not final.

The BNP told the EC that involving students in a complex political process like elections would not be appropriate. The EC assured them that a decision would be taken after further discussion.

Referring to reports that some parties were planning to form so-called “peace committees” in various constituencies in the name of maintaining law and order, Nazrul Islam Khan said, “The term ‘peace committee’ itself is very unpleasant to us, even though we are peace-loving people.” He added that the Election Commission said it was not aware of any such initiative.

Nazrul Islam Khan also said that the EC has approved more than 55,000 observers from 81 domestic organisations for the upcoming election. He noted that some of these organisations were not well known. While the BNP has no specific complaint against any individual organisation, the party wanted to know whether the EC had taken the decision after careful scrutiny or through a routine process. The EC said it would review the matter.

A six-member delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami, including four senior leaders from its central women’s wing, met the CEC Sunday and submitted a memorandum. This marked the first time leaders of Jamaat’s women’s wing went to the EC with such complaints.

After the meeting, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair told journalists that recently, when female activists have been going door to door or engaging in election-related activities, a group of people have been subjecting them to various forms of abuse and harassment.

He alleged cyberbullying, physical assault, attempts to remove their hijab and niqab, as well as threats and intimidation. The party has sought action from the EC on these issues. He added that these matters had also been reported to the relevant authorities at the local level.

Asked who was responsible for harassing women campaigners, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said there was no way to identify the perpetrators’ party affiliations and described them as miscreants. He said general diaries had been filed with police stations to bring them to justice, and that the police would investigate whether they had any political affiliation and determine their identities.

Habiba Akhtar Chowdhury, a member of the executive council of Jamaat’s women’s wing, told reporters that the list submitted to the EC included photos and videos from 15 locations. She said there were more incidents beyond those documented, and added that the EC had assured them of taking action.

In a recent interview, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said that it was not possible for a woman to become the party’s ameer. A journalist asked whether leaders of Jamaat’s women’s wing shared this view.

In response, Jamaat women’s wing Secretary Nurunnisa Siddika said, “You know Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamic organisation, right? And it is natural that an Islamic organisation will follow Islam. Allah Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran, ‘Ar-rijalu qawwamuna ‘alan-nisa’—men are the guardians of women. This directive of Allah is a Quranic injunction; it is obligatory. According to this, women cannot assume leadership positions in an Islamic organisation.”

She added that they had accepted this belief with faith and continued to live by it. Holding top positions, she said, was not important; what mattered was whether women’s rights were being ensured.

Nurunnisa Siddika further said, "Over the past 54 years in Bangladesh, two women served as prime ministers for long periods. But have women’s problems been solved? Has violence against women decreased? Have women’s rights been ensured?"

"So the idea that having a woman in a top position alone will change everything is not correct. Rather, whether the leader is a woman or a man, we want leadership that is humane and upholds human dignity for women and men alike. That is why we do not consider it essential for women to occupy top positions," she added.