AL nominates death row convict, changes an hour later

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The Awami League had nominated Aminbazar union parishad's current chairman Anwar Hossain, who was recently given death sentence in a case over beating six students to death, for the upcoming UP election.

However, the nomination was amended within an hour and a another man named Md Rokib Ahmed was declared as the party’s candidate for the chairman post.

Earlier on Saturday night, a press release signed by Biplab Barua, office secretary of Awami League’s central committee said, the list had been corrected as a wrong name was written instead of the nominated candidate.

Present chairman Anwar Hossain is sentenced to death for beating six students to death alleging them to be robbers in the Baradeshi village of Aminbazar in Savar upazila. On 2 December, the court sentenced 13 people to death in this case. Some 19 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. The incident took place in 2011.

A meeting of the Awami League's parliamentary and local government representative nomination board was held at Ganobhaban, the official residence of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, at 4.00pm on Saturday.

According to the decisions of the meeting, the list of the nominated candidates for the four pourashavas (municipalities) and the fifth phase of UP elections in Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions was given.The list included the name of Anwar Hossain.

When asked about this, Hasina Daula, president of Savar upazila Awami League, said that the names of several people were proposed by the upazila Awami League and Anwar Hossain’s name was also there. He was convicted in the case later.

Hasina Daula said she informed the nomination board about this incident and later Anwar Hossain’s name was omitted from the list of the nominated candidates.