Sarjis alleges attacks on homes, business establishments of party leaders, activists

Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of the National Citizen Party (NCP) for the northern region has alleged that attacks have taken place at more than 30 locations targeting the homes and business establishments of party leaders and activists since the announcement of the election results.

The defeated candidate of the 11-party electoral alliance in the Panchagarh-1 constituency claims that leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were involved in these incidents.

Sarjis Alam made several posts on his Facebook page outlining these allegations. He urged those who were overexcited in carrying out such acts to reform themselves and learn from the past.

Based on his posts and subsequent conversations with him, this correspondent made enquiries into various incidents of post-election violence in Sadar, Tetulia and Atwari upazilas of the district.

An easybike (thee-wheeler) driver named Swapan Rana, from the Dangapara area of Tirnaihat union in Tetulia upazila, claimed that he came under attack after the election.

Conversations with his family members and local residents revealed that, during vote counting and the announcement of results on Thursday, supporters of Sarjis Alam’s 'Shapla Koli' (water lily bud) symbol first brought out a procession in Dangapara village.

Later, supporters of BNP candidate Nawshad Zamir’s 'Dhaner Sheesh' (sheaf of paddy) symbol also held a procession. At that time, some individuals reportedly pushed the main gate of the boundary fence and the window of Swapan Rana’s house.

His wife, Parveen Akhter, and his daughter, Suchana Akhter, a member of NCP’s Nari Shakti unit in Tirnaihat union, protested. This led to an altercation between the two sides. Both parties reside in the same area and belong to the same extended family.

Swapan Rana claimed that individuals attacked them because he had campaigned with a loudspeaker for the Shapla Koli symbol (water lily bud) and because his daughter is a member of Nari Shakti.

Suchana Akhter said, “When we protested against the pushing of our outer door and window, our neighbour, Nur Alam, also known as Salim Uddin, struck me. We are still receiving threats.”

However, local resident Arzina Akhter offered a different account. She said, “On the night of the election, we were holding a procession cheering the sheaf of paddy symbol on the road outside our house, while a few others were holding a procession cheering water lily bud. As our procession passed by Swapan Rana’s house, my uncle-in-law, Salim Uddin, slipped near their window and made a noise. Swapan’s wife and daughter came out and began shouting. An argument then broke out between us. Swapan’s daughter was recording a video and saying, ‘Look, look, how BNP people are attacking us.’ In reality, there was no attack there.”

Mizanur Rahman, a shopkeeper at Mirgarh Bazar in Dhakkamara union of Panchagarh sadar upazila, said that although he received threats from supporters of the BNP candidate, no one assaulted him.

He said, “I supported the Shapla Koli symbol. The day after the election, some local BNP leaders told me to keep my shop closed. Nevertheless, I asked my son to keep it open. When I later came to the shop, one BNP leader grabbed my hand and pulled me away. At that time, several of their own people stopped him. Later, some of them came and told me to keep the shop open. No one assaulted me.”

In response, Badruzzaman, president of ward no. 2 of Dhakkamara union BNP, denied that any assault or attack had occurred. He said that Mizanur Rahman had used abusive language against some BNP activists on election day. “Several people were angry with Mizanur,” he said.

“To avoid any untoward incident, I advised him to keep his shop closed the day after the election. Later, I told him to reopen it. No one attacked him. He is a local boy, and his elder brother is involved with the BNP politics.”

Badruzzaman also strongly protested the claims made by Sarjis Alam on Facebook.

In the Gunjar Mari area of Atwari upazila, Prothom Alo spoke with Saiful Islam, an NCP supporter. Sarjis Alam had visited his house after receiving reports of an attack there.

Saiful Islam said that at around 11:00 pm on election day he noticed the smell of something burning.

When he went to the western side of his house, he saw that a straw shed had caught fire. He believes that someone may have set the fire and fled. The family later extinguished the flames.

Saiful Islam said, “On Friday at around 8:00 pm, a group of BNP supporters marched past my house chanting slogans and dancing in the outer courtyard. Some of them struck the fencing. I was not at home at the time. The NCP had held two courtyard meetings at my house, and I was told that some of the youths were shouting, ‘Where is NCP’s Saiful?’ When I returned home later, a BNP activist grabbed me by the throat. Sarjis Alam came to my house later that night to see what had happened.”

At Raniganj Bazar in Atwari upazila, Abdul Wahab used to run a fish stall. He supports the Shapla Koli symbol. On Thursday night, some unidentified people overturned his platform and broke its supports.

He now continues to operate his business using the damaged structure. Nearby, Abdul Kader, a Jamaat activist, ran a Pitha stall roofed with a polythene sheet. On the same night, miscreants reportedly vandalised his stove and other equipment.

Nazrul Islam (Dulal), general secretary of Atwari upazila BNP, said that a cowshed outside Saiful Islam’s house had caught fire a few days earlier.

He acknowledged that some youths had marched and danced outside Saiful’s house but denied that they had attacked anyone.

Nazrul Islam further claimed that no attacks had taken place in Atwari against NCP leaders or activists, nor against their homes or shops. He alleged that minor quarrels between two six or seven year-old children had been exaggerated and circulated on Facebook.

Instead, he asserted that an activist named Abdur Rahim, a leader of the Jubo Dal, had been admitted to hospital after sustaining injuries in an attack by NCP supporters. He described the allegations against the BNP as misinformation.

Superintendent of police in Panchagarh, Md Rabiul Islam, said that the police had responded to reports of minor incidents in various areas.

He added that they had found no major incidents and that most of the matters involved disputes between supporters of different electoral symbols in villages. He confirmed that no written complaints had yet been submitted regarding these incidents.

Making counter-allegations against Sarjis Alam, Naufal Arshad told Prothom Alo over telephone that on Friday supporters of Sarjis Alam had created a situation in Atwari resembling attacks on the homes of minority community members.

He alleged that they had pushed and jostled people who had worked in favour of the sheaf of paddy symbol.

He further claimed that two BNP activists, Ripon and Masum, had sustained injuries. “They are making one allegation after another and fabricating news reports. None of these claims has any truth,” he said.

Naufal Arshad added, “Our leaders and activists have received clear instructions that we are moving away from the politics of revenge of the past 17 years and entering a new phase of building a new Bangladesh through this election. There is no scope here for revenge politics or for suppressing opponents. If anyone engages in such actions, or attempts to misuse power under the banner of the BNP, they will face expulsion from the party. Not only that, but legal action will also be taken against them.”