RCC polls: AL leader held from asst returning officer's house, let go after 12hrs

Police today released an Awami League leader around 12 hours after detaining him from an assistant returning officer's house in Rajshahi city's Sagarpara area, ahead of the Rajshahi City Corporation elections on June 21.

The detainee, Mir Ishtiaq Ahmed Limon, is the organising secretary of Rajshahi AL, reports our staff correspondent quoting Rafiqul Alam, additional commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

He was picked up after AL men, suspecting that he was bribing the election official, called police.

"Police interrogated him and let him go around noon as there was no evidence of bribery," he said.

Limon was detained around 12:00 midnight, three hours after hundreds of party men gathered around the house.

The agitating AL men claimed that Limon went to the house of the assistant returning officer to bribe him for ensuring defeat of the AL-nominated mayor candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton.

They further claimed that Limon also bribed the official to ensure the win of his uncle and councillor candidate Abdul Hamid Sarker Tekon in the RCC polls.

One of the agitating AL men, Rajshahi College unit Chhatra League President Rashik Dutta, said Limon entered the house around 9:00pm.Two of Limon's men went inside with bags, but they managed to flee from the spot, he said.

Meanwhile, Abul Hossain, the assistant returning officer, denied the allegation while talking to reporters.

Limon met him outside his home around 8:00pm. Later, Abul took Limon to his house to have a cup of tea, he said.

"He was asking me whether the election would be fair. No talk of bribes took place between us," Abul Hossain added.

While the AL men were surrounding the house, Limon's father and Rajshahi Zilla Parishad Chairman Mir Iqbal went to the spot.

Mir Iqbal, also the vice-president of the city AL, said he was assaulted by some of the AL men.