UPAZILA POLLS IRREGULARITIES
Probes tumble as ruling party men stand in the way
Khadimul Islam
The judicial inquiry committees investigating the alleged irregularities in the January 22 polls to 16 upazilas, failed to submit reports by the deadline as they could not work properly in the face of threat, influence and violence by the ruling Awami League-backed candidates in the upazilas, according to Election Commission secretariat sources.
Not a single probe committee has submitted its report to the commission although the deadline has already expired.
The committees have sought the commission’s suggestions as to what they could do in this situation, said officials in the commission secretariat.
Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain, however, vowed to conduct the inquiries at any cost even by shifting the offices of the probe bodies to other districts, if necessary, and ensuring their security.
The commission early last month launched investigations into the 20 upazilas where it was compelled to suspend the results of the polls held on January 22.
Of the 20 upazilas, judicial investigations were launched in 16 upazilas by district and sessions judges and in the rest upazilas by the commission’s officials.
The judicial magistrates were asked to submit their reports to the commission in 15 days. ‘After going through the reports of the judicial inquiries, the commission will decide whether the polls results of the upazilas will be cancelled for fresh voting or not,’ election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters on March 2.
The 16 upazilas, election results of which have been suspended due to snatching of ballot papers and capture of polling centres, tampering with the results and intimidation, are – Bancharampur in Brahmanbaria, Araihajar in Narayanganj, Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, Kaliganj in Gazipur, Mehendiganj in Barisal, Raipura in Narsingdi, Madarganj in Jamalpur, Gaffargaon in Mymensingh, Atpara in Netrakona, Pakundia in Kishoreganj, Sadar in Madaripur, Jagannathpur in Sunamganj, Muradnagar and Chandina in Comilla, Raipur in Lakshmipur and Chhagalnaiya in Feni.
According to judicial magistrates and EC officials, a number of allegations that ruling party’s local leaders and their candidates had put obstacles to the inquiries reached the commission secretariat. In some places ruling party candidates issued threats to the rival candidates asking them not to go to the judicial committee for giving deposition.
Belal Bhuiyan, a chairman candidate for
‘The Lakshmipur district and sessions judge on Thursday asked me to submit my deposition on Sunday. But, I fled the area and am now staying in
At Mehendiganj in
District and sessions judge of
NI Khan, joint secretary (law) of the Election Commission secretariat, admitted the incident and said that the commission was weighing different alternatives.
Soon after the upazila elections held on January 22, complaints of irregularities in polling started pouring in the EC secretariat. About 200 complaints have so far been lodged by candidates who demanded re-elections in a number of polling centres or in all the centres in some cases.
The chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda on February 10 said that the commission in its half-month investigation had primarily found evidence of irregularities, including stuffing of ballot boxes, capture of polling centres, tampering with the results and intimidation in 50 upazilas, and decided to suspend publication of the official results of 20 of them for inquiry.
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