Legal tangles cause BNP fresh worries

The BNP has been facing new difficulties since the party candidates submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming polls.

Two candidates landed in jail yesterday while the High Court asked another to surrender before a magistrate court within four weeks.

Another BNP candidate has been remanded for two days.

The party policymakers feared that returning officers may reject some of their candidates during scrutiny as they are sentenced to various jail terms.

The apprehension gripped the party high command after a latest ruling by the HC which barred anyone from participating in the polls with minimum two years' of imprisonment and an appeal pending against the conviction.

BNP Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon and Monowar Hossain, candidates for Narsingdi-1 and Magura-1 respectively, were sent to jail yesterday in separate cases by the respective district courts.

Besides, the HC yesterday directed Ishraque Hossain, BNP candidate for Dhaka-6, to surrender before a Dhaka court in connection with two corruption cases. Ishraque is the son of former Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Nipun Roy Chowdhury, member of BNP National Executive Committee, landed in jail two weeks ago in connection with a clash between police and BNP activists in Nayapaltan. Nipun is supposed to contest from Dhaka-3.

As she was in jail, her party activists submitted nomination papers on her behalf.

Mosharraf Hossain Khokon, leader of Dhaka city unit BNP, wanted to contest from Dhaka-7. He went missing on his way back to home after submitting nomination papers, said Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference.

However, Shubhash Kumar Pal, officer-in-charge of Lalbagh Police Station, yesterday told The Daily Star that Khokon was placed on two-day remand. Four arrest warrants were issued against Khokon, he added.

“The government is trying to foil the election using all state machineries. The government is trying to keep the BNP nominees out of the polls," Nazrul Islam Khan, coordinator of BNP's election coordination committee, told The Daily Star.

Sensing its massive debacle in the polls, the government was trying to keep BNP leaders and activists away from polling activities , he alleged.

BNP Organising Secretary Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu said, "Awami League is in vote and we are in the court.”

The party leaders said filing cases against BNP activists was nothing new but they decided to run in the national polls, even though its chief Khaleda Zia was in jail.

They expected the Election Commission to play a vital role in creating a level playing field after declaring the polls schedule but the situation did not change, they added.

BNP leader Zahiruddin Swapan said, "Awami League leaders threatened me publicly. My life is at risk. I sought security from the Election Commission but yet to get any response from them.”

He could not go to his constituency for submitting his nomination form, he said.

Not only Swapan, there are around 50 candidates who either could not submit nomination paper in person, BNP leaders claimed.

Saiful Alam Nirob of Dhaka-12 submitted his nomination form through his representatives. Mirza Abbas of Dhaka-8, and Mia Nuruddin Apu of Shariatpur-3 did the same.

Shariful Alam of Kishorganj-6, Khurram Khan of Mymensingh-9 and Nurul Islam Moni of Barguna-2 submitted their nomination forms to the returning officers' offices instead of AROs.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, the party's standing committee members Rafiqul Islam Miah, Amanullah Aman, Shahjahan Omar, Iqbal Hasan, AZM Jahid, Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan and some other top leaders cannot contest the polls this time due to the HC ruling.

BNP Publicity Affairs Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said, "Still the local Awami League and administration is creating a panic situation through various processes of intimidation. We are trying to overcome the situation by mobilising the party leader and activists.”