Attack on Hero Alam
Action to be taken after analysing video footage, photos: Returning officer
Action will be taken after analysing video footage and photographs of the attack on independent candidate in Dhaka-17 by-polls Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam, said returning officer Md Monir Hossain.
He was speaking to the media after the attack on the MP candidate outside of a polling centre in Banani area in the capital on Monday afternoon.
The returning officer said Hero Alam came here. He was not beaten up inside the polling centre. Police escorted him up to outside of the centre. They do not know whether he was attacked outside. Actions would be taken analysing video footage and photographs.
Dhaka-17 constituency consists of Gulshan, Banani and Cantonment areas. Mohammad Ali Arafat (Mohammad A Arafat) has been competing as the MP candidate from ruling Awami League. There was no strong candidate against Arafat in the constituency. Bogura’s Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam has been contesting as a candidate in the by-poll.
Hero Alam was visiting a women’s polling centre at the Banani Bidyaniketan School and College at around 3:15 pm. At the time, supporters of the AL-nominated candidate started hurling abuse at him and ordered him to leave the centre.
As the situation worsened, the on-duty police escorted him towards the main gate and the agitated AL activists followed. After that Hero Alam tried to leave the place quickly, but the ruling party activists shoved him from behind and started beating him up.
Hero Alam’s associates rescued him and tried taking him to a safer place as there was no police member with him. The ruling party activists chased him until reaching Road No. 23 of Banani ‘A’ block.
The agitated ruling party activists were calling out, “He (Hero Alam) is a ‘TikToker’, a clown. Why does he want to be the MP of Dhaka-17 constituency? Does he know the meaning of a MP?”
Some of the attackers were saying, “Just chase him. There is no need to beat him.”
The police arrested one of the attackers after Hero Alam left the place.