‘Assault’ of polls officials: EC to file case against AL MP

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to file case against a ruling Awami League (AL) lawmaker of Chittagong-16 constituency Mustafizur Rahaman Chowdhury for allegedly beating an upazila election officer in Chittagong.

The MP abused Banshkhali upazila election officer Zahid Hossain at the office of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) for not appointing his loyal people as polling officials during Union Parishad (UP) polls, according to Hossain.

Immediately after the incident, the upazila election officer informed district election office about it. He later sent a letter to the EC requesting necessary measures in this regard.

The commission later decided to file a criminal case against the lawmaker and suspended voting to all 14 UPs of Banshkhali, which were scheduled to be held on June 4, EC’s Secretary Sirazul Islam told The Daily Star.

The lawmaker denied the allegations, terming the allegation “false and bogus”.

He alleged that the upazila election officer was collaborating with Jamaat-Shibir men.

Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz said, “Action will definitely be taken against any person whoever he is, if commits crime,”

Talking to The Daily Star, victim Zahid said the lawmaker’s PS Tajul Islam, also an AL-nominated chairman aspirant of Baharchhara UP under Banshkhali, gave him a list of around 200 people asking him to appoint them as polling officials.

Some of them, who were eligible, were appointed for election duties. But Tajul wanted that all 200 be appointed.

“The lawmaker verbally abused me over phone five to seven days ago for not complying with Tajul’s directives. He threatened me to give a lesson over this,” Zahid said.

“I informed this to the officer-in-charge (OC) of Banshkhali Police Station over phone and wanted to file a general diary (GD). But the OC discouraged me saying that everything will be alright,” said

When he went to UNO’s office today on getting his call, his supporters locked the door from the outside and the lawmaker started to hurl abusive words and kept asking Zahid why he had not followed his instruction.

“When I protested it, the lawmaker became more furious and started to beat up me,” said Zahid.

Contacted, the lawmaker denied the allegation and said: “There is no question of beating up the election officer. I have never abused him verbally.”

“We have seen that 50 percent of election officials have been appointed from Chakaria and Pekua upazilas of Cox’s Bazar despite having sufficient number of eligible people in Banshkhali,” he told The Daily Star.

“We have come to know that the election officer Zahid was collaborating with Jamaat-Shibir and appointed election officials as per their suggestions,” the MP claimed.

Earlier in December last year, AL lawmaker for Mymensingh-2 constituency Sharif Ahmed threatened a returning officer of dire consequence for not working in favour of the lawmaker-supported mayor candidate in Phulpur municipality polls.