Bangladesh government has opened a media centre at a luxury hotel in Dhaka to relay election information to journalists on the day of December 30 election.

Top officials of the information and foreign ministry were present at the launching of the media centre at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka in the morning.

Abdul Malek, secretary to Ministry of Information said, the centre will provide all types of information till December 31 midnight to foreign and local journalists and election observers.

Md Shahidul Haque, foreign affairs secretary, said two hundred foreign observers and 50 overseas journalists who will be catered information from the centre.

Besides, the centre will provide security and visa related necessary information as well as online facilities to the overseas journalists and election observers.

The election result provided by the EC will also be displayed through Bangladesh Television (BTV) at the media centre.  

Five officials and staffs of the information ministry will work at the media centre round the clock. The media centre will keep communication with the EC through two hot lines.

Ruling 14-party alliance today alleged that opposition BNP and its alliance Jatiya Oikyafront are trying to make army and December 30 elections “questionable”.

“Army is deployed as per the demands of BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront. Now they are trying to make the army questionable,” 14-party alliance leader Dilip Barua told reporters after handing over a letter to the EC secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed.

Dilip Barua led a delegation that protested attack on Awami League activists and sought EC's steps on stopping the conspiracy of BNP and Oikyafront.   

“They [BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront] are trying to make December 30 election dubious by raising one after another false allegations” Dilip also said.

Violence over electioneering continued for the third consecutive day yesterday with reports of sporadic attacks and clashes in the city and different districts.

The BNP blamed Awami League men for most of the attacks which took place in Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, Cumilla, Joypurhat, Natore, Khulna, Chandpur and Narayanganj district, although AL men denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, police arrested around thirty BNP men, including its central organising secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, in separate drives in different districts on Tuesday night and yesterday.

An electioneering rally of Afroza Abbas, a BNP candidate for the December 30 general election, allegedly comes under attack in Dhaka on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Photo: Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

In Dhaka, Chhatra League men allegedly attacked the motorcade of Afroza Abbas, a BNP candidate of Dhaka-9 at around 10:30am, BNP alleged. They damaged the car of the BNP leader, also the wife of BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, and left her driver injured in the incident.

Elsewhere, at least 15 people were injured in a clash between AL and BNP men over pasting of election posters of BNP candidate Kazi Moniruzzaman Monir in Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj yesterday.

The groups armed with sharp weapons locked in clash around 2:00pm in front of Kazi Abdul Hamid High School after Jubo League men obstructed the BNP activists, witnesses said.

Moniruzzaman said they were not being allowed to campaign anywhere and they were attacked or arrested if they tried to do so.

However, Jubo League leaders said the clash ensued as BNP men were making provocative statements.

Moreover, at least five people, including the BNP candidate for Chandpur-1 Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, were injured when ruling party activists vandalised five vehicles of his motorcade yesterday.

After the attack at Sachar Dakkhin Bazar in the upazila at around 3:40pm, Mosharraf left for Dhaka in the afternoon.

Local AL leaders denied their involvement and said supporters of another BNP aspirant who did not get the party nomination carried out the attack.

Elsewhere in Singra upazila in Rajshahi, BNP's Natore-3 candidate Daudar Mahmud, at a press conference, alleged that at least 50 BNP leaders and activists were injured in the last three days in attacks by AL men in the upazila.

"I have submitted over 15 complaints to the assistant returning officer (ARO) of Singra but no action was taken," Mahmud added.

Sushanta Kumar Mahato, ARO and also the UNO of Singra upazila, said they sent police and executive magistrates to the spot upon receiving the complaints but those were found to be untrue.

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Spectre of violence returns

State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, also the AL MP nominee for the same constituency, however said AL men did not attack any BNP men.

In Chattogram, BNP standing committee member Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury, also MP candidate for Chattogram-11, yesterday claimed that five of his activists sustained injuries in an attack by Chhatra League men equipped with sticks during campaigning at around 2:00pm.

“Instead of capturing the attackers, police picked one of our activists MA Musa from the spot,” he added.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadarghat Police Station Nezam Uddin, however, told The Daily Star that they had not received any information of such an attack but had arrested Musa as he was an accused in two cases.

Besides in Sirajganj, a crude bomb was charged targeting an AL leader's house at the Dhukria village early yesterday, a day after an attack on a Jubo Dal leader's house in the same village.

Although nobody was hurt, a tense situation is prevailing in the area.

Furthermore, in Joypurhat, a man was beaten and left injured while he was returning home after pasting posters of a BNP candidate in Kalai upazila on Tuesday night.

Local BNP leaders blamed AL men for the attack but AL leaders denied the allegation.

Mahabub Chowdhury, general secretary of Cumilla sadar south BNP, was attacked allegedly by local Awami league activists at Cumilla Judge Court gate at 10:00am yesterday.

Local BNP MP candidate Hazi Aminur Rashid Yeasin alleged that the attackers even tried to snatch Mahabub away in a black microbus.

In Gazipur, two union level BNP leaders were injured in an attack allegedly by supporters of the local AL candidate. The attack stemmed over pasting of posters in Kaliganj upazila's Noapara area.

Besides, five supporters of Islami Andolon, including an MP candidate, were injured in an attack allegedly by Chhatra League activists at Platinum Jute mill area under Khulna City Corporation yesterday evening.

The attack took place near BIDC road of the area while Islami Andolon activists were distributing leaflets and holding a public meeting, Maulana Muzammil Haque, the MP candidate said.

Mosharaf Hossain, OC of Khalishpur thana, claimed to The Daily Star that two motorcyclists got into a scuffle with the Islami Andolon supporters over them blocking a major portion of the road for their meeting.

Earlier, two Jubo League and Awami League leaders were killed in Noakhali and Faridpur on the second day of the election campaign.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday criticised the BNP for allowing Jamaat candidates to contest the December 30 election with its symbol “sheaf of paddy”.

She said there was no place for the BNP-Jamaat men in Bangladesh as they were involved in killing people through arson attacks.

“There'll be no place for them on Bangladeshi soil as the smell of charred human bodies still comes out from the symbol of 'sheaf of paddy'. Please be aware of them!” Hasina told an election rally arranged by Pirganj upazila AL at Pirganj Government High School ground.

The PM joined the rally after offering fateha at the grave of her husband Dr MA Wazed Miah, an eminent nuclear scientist, who was from Pirganj.

Earlier in the day, Hasina also addressed another rally in Rangpur's Taraganj.

In Pirganj, the AL chief urged all to vote for her party for the sake of the country's development and prosperity.

She said the next election is very important and asked people to cast their votes in favour of boat, the AL's electoral symbol. “I do believe the wind is now at the sail of boat ... the victory of boat is sure.”

Recalling the miserable days of 2014 and 2015 when the BNP-Jamaat was involved in killing people through arson attacks, she said those who killed people in such a way are not human beings, but just devils. 

Hasina said BNP chief Khaleda Zia embezzled orphans' money while her son had been convicted of money laundering, arms smuggling and the August 21 grenade attack. 

“What development will be done by the convicted fugitive; what type of welfare will they do for the country? The people of the country need to be aware of them.”

The PM said whenever the AL comes to power, the welfare of people is ensured.

She said the government had taken steps for the employment of the youths. “Using their potential, we'll take the country towards prosperity. We'll build poverty-and hunger-free Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

Introducing the AL candidate for the next general election from Pirganj, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Hasina said, “She's my daughter; I'm handing my daughter to you ... you'll cast votes in favour of me, but the name will be Shirin Sharmin.”

Briefly describing various development programmes of her government in the last 10 years, she said the government has numerous plans for the coming days to make the county a developed one.  

Hundreds of Awami League supporters have gathered on college premises in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur where Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will hold an election rally to seek vote for “boat”. Photo: Collected

Speaker Shirin Sharmin, AL central leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Ahammad Hossain, BM Mozammel, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Rangpur district AL acting president Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, Jubo League President Omar Faruk Chowdhury and Chhatra League President Redwanul Haque Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the rally.

Pirganj upazila AL acting president Azizur Rahman Ranga presided over the programme. 

Pirganj Upazila Parishad Chairman Nur Mohammad Mandal, who recently joined the AL, quitting the BNP Pirganj upazila president post, also spoke on the occasion.

TARAGANJ RALLY

Addressing another campaign rally at Taraganj Government Degree College ground, Hasina urged the people of Rangpur region to cast their votes for “boat” to complete the unfinished projects taken for the development of the northern region.

“For the overall development of this region, we've taken so many projects ... we've taken steps so that every road of this area is developed ... we've to complete those work and for that we need your votes for 'boat'.”

Taraganj upazila AL organised the rally with its president Atiar Rahman in the chair.

Introducing local AL candidate (Rangpur-2) Abul Kalam Md Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury, she called upon all to cast their votes for her party to give it another chance to serve them. “Please, vote for our candidates so that we can work for you.”

Remembering the miserable days when Rangpur was infamous for “Manga” (famine), Hasina said the situation had changed here when her party formed the government in 2009 after the 2008 election.

She said the government had introduced cards for farmers so that they could get their subsidy easily. “We've ensured fertilizers, seeds, irrigation for agricultural production as well as ensured fair price for their produce.”

The PM said every inch of the country's cultivable land would be utilised so that food security of the country was never endangered and “Manga” never staged a comeback.

Hasina also spoke at a number of roadside rallies in Dinajpur before leaving for Dhaka at night.

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, inset, addresses a large gathering at a rally at the grounds of Pirganj Govt High School in Rangpur. Photo: PID