Non-voters line up at a centre in Sylhet

There has been an incident where non-voters were brought in and lined up in front of a polling station in Sylhet city to show active presence of the voters as well as a festive atmosphere.

This was seen around 9:30am today, Sunday at Durgakumar Pathshala Govt Primary School polling centre.

Eyewitnesses said that more than 150 women entered the polling centre and lined up in several queues around 9:30am. Many of them had their faces covered in masks. Everyone assumed them to be voters at first but then they realised that they are not actual voters.

Those women stayed at the centre for almost 45 minutes and then left. However, none of those women were seen to enter the booth and cast their votes.

At least ten of those women on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo that they are nurses working at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College hospital. But, none of them are voters of that particular centre. Meanwhile, two of the women standing in same queue claimed to be voters of that centre.

Two of the eyewitness voters said that Awami League nominated candidate in Sylhet-1 (city and Sadar upazila), foreign minister AK Abdul Momen is a voter of Durgakumar Pathshala Govt Primary School centre. He cast his vote at that centre around 10:00am.

There were rumours circulating inside the centre that non-voters were brought and lined up to show the presence of voters in the centre at the time when the foreign minister casted his vote.

When contacted, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo, “Nurses who are supposed to be on duty at the hospital, are performing their duties properly. I don’t have any idea about the whereabouts of those who are on leave. So, it’s impossible for me to know who had gone to that polling centre.”

Meanwhile, presiding officer of the Durgakumar Pathshala Govt Primary School centre, Mrinmoy Das alias Jhuton Said to Prothom Alo that there are total 2,993 voters in this centre. Till 9:00am, 40 votes were cast in seven booths of this centre. While there were agents of the boat symbol in each of the booths, no agents of other candidates were found.  

Mrinmoy Das on the topic of non-voters lining up in front of the centre said, “I don’t know who lined up in front of the centre. But, there’s no scope for anyone except for the voters to be allowed to cast votes. If any such person comes to vote, legal action will be taken against them.”