UZ polls: Journo assaulted by candidate's supporters in Munshiganj
A journalist was assaulted allegedly by supporters of a chairman candidate at a polling centre in Munshiganj's Gazaria during today's first phase of the upazila parishad elections.
Golzar Hossain, Munshiganj correspondent of Manabzamin and vice-president of Munshiganj Press Club, said Hossendi Union Parishad Chairman Monirul Haque Mithu attacked him when he was recording the incident of Mithu and his men beating up a member of police outside the polling centre.
Golzar said Mithu is a supporter of Md Amirul Islam, the current Gazaria upazila parishad chairman, who is running for re-election.
He claimed that at least seven more journalists present there were also confined inside the polling station at Bhabanipur Government Primary School in Hossendi union by the assailants.
The incident took place around 9:15am, he added.
Golzar said, "Chairman Mithu was beating the policeman near the polling centre. I was attacked for taking pictures and videos of the incident. They snatched my phone and deleted all the pictures and videos before breaking it."
Golzar later lodged a written complaint against three people, including Mithu, with Gazaria Police Station around 12:00pm.
According to the complaint, Golzar went to the polling centre to cover the upazila polls. An incident of "pushing and shoving" took place between a police constable and the three accused when the policemen asked a shop near the centre to close down.
As the journalist was recording the incident, the three accused also assaulted him, read the statement.
He, however, claimed that the complaint was only registered after he agreed to replace "assault" with "pushing and shoving".
Tofayel Hossain Sarker, additional superintendent of police of Sreenagar circle, however, refuted the assault on police.
"Some journalists went to the centre and were taking some photos when some locals attacked them. Police protected them. But the allegation of assaulting police personnel by locals is false," he said.
Journalist Sheikh Md Ratan, who was present at the centre, said, "Chairman Mithu and his men confined us for a long time and threatened us, using indecent words. They beat up Golzar. They also took away my phone."
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kohinoor Akhter said, "There was no magistrate at the centre at the time of the incident. No one was arrested and no legal action was taken. Later, a magistrate went to the centre and found everything normal.
"But now journalists can file cases through the normal process if they want."
Sub-inspector Anowar Hossain, duty officer at Gazaria Police Station, confirmed a complaint has been lodged over the assault of a journalist.
Our correspondent called and sent texts to Mithu several times for comment without any success.
Crude bombs blasts
Three crude bombs exploded at a polling centre during a clash between groups of two chairman candidates in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj in the first phase of upazila elections today.
The incident took place on the west side of Ismanir Char Government Primary School polling centre under Hossendi union around 1:30pm, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.
Police and locals said supporters of two chairman candidates Amirul Islam and Mansoor Ahmed Khan Jinnah took positions near the polling station in order to occupy the polling centre.
At that time, three crude bombs were exploded next to the polling station.
Later, the police fired six blank shots to disperse them.
Confirming the incident Tofail Hossain Sarkar, additional superintendent (Srinagar Circle ) of police, said the situation was brought under control with a timely intervention.
Moreover, a group of miscreants tried to enter Hossendi Bahumukhi High School polling centre and seal the ballot papers around 3:30pm.
Returning Officer and District Election Officer Bashir Ahmed said the voting was suspended for 30 minutes at this centre following the situation.
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