Harunur Rashid, Krishak League secretary of Dhaka North unit, was attacked allegedly by the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its students' wing Islami Chhatra Shibir at a makeshift election campaign office of Awami League in Dhaka.

Ten Jamaat-Shibir men, coming on a motorcycle, hit Harunur Rashid, 45, with a heavy object when he was sitting at the campaign office of Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, a contender of Dhaka-15 constituency, at Mirpur around 9:00pm, Dadon Fakir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirpur Police Station, claimed.

Awami League activists managed to catch the perpetrators and hand them over to police, the OC said.

Among the detainees, one is Jammat men while two others are Shibir activists, he added.

Police has recovered a crude bomb from them, the police official said.

Harunur Rashid has been admitted to Shaheed Suhrawardi Medical College and Hospital.

A case was filed in this regard at the concerned police station. Dhaka(North) General Secretary of Tati League, SM Mosharref Hossain filed the case accusing 191 BNP leaders and activists.

Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain today urged the diplomatic corps in Dhaka to manage the Awami League government to hold a fresh national election under a nonparty administration immediately.

Kamal Hossain also president of Gonoforum made the call while holding a closed-door meeting with diplomats from different countries at a hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan area this afternoon.

The Oikyafront leader also placed allegations of irregularity and violence, took place in the December 30 national election, before the foreign diplomats during the meeting.

“We held a good discussion. We presented before them (diplomats) what happened in the election. They also witnessed the irregularities by themselves and they did not make any argument over it,” Kamal told reporters after the meeting.

Kamal said, “They asked us what we want and we told them that we can reach a peaceful solution if a fresh election is held and all people can vote freely.”

“We will work together and play a constructive role to build a bright future of the country if a fresh election is held,” Kamal said.

Diplomats from at least 30 countries including USA, UK, Canada, Russia and China were present at the meeting.

During the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also spoke about the “ruling party and police men’s indulgence in the acts of terrorism” ahead of the election.

The “evidence of the election violence” were projected before the diplomats through a power-point presentation during the meeting, meeting sources said.

Later, written copies of the allegations with “facts and evidence” were handed over the foreign diplomats, the said.

At least 15 people were hurt during an attack on an election campaign of opposition Jatiya Oikyafront in Chattogram’s Fatickchhari today.

The injured include Oikyafront’s candidate for the constituency Azim Ullah Bahar and his associates, our local staff correspondent reports.

Bahar alleged, Chhatra League men known as ‘Tayeb Bahini’ attacked his campaign at Tokirhat around 2:30pm and foiled their campaign.

Fatickchari police station Officer-in-Charge Babul Akter confirmed The Daily Star of the attack and said “miscreants” swooped on his campaign.

Confirming reports of injuries, he said BNP men blocked a road at Jongkar Road area protesting the attack and vandalised some vehicles there. Five men were detained in this connection and additional police deployed.

Meanwhile, the AL men allegedly attacked another election campaign of Islami Front Bangladesh candidate Saifuddin Ahmed Maijbhandari at Bhujpur union in Fatickchhari.

Saifuddin told The Daily Star: “Cadres of AL candidate Najibul Bashar Maijbhandari attacked us during our campaign and took away our loud speakers.”

“The attacks left 12 workers of my party injured,” claimed the candidate.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhujpur Sheikh Abdullah said: “We went to the spot and found nothing. We have advised the candidate to file a written complaint.”

With the December 30 election approaching, people in Satkhira, known as a stronghold of the Jamaat-e-Islami, fear that the party may resort to violence again, the way it did in 2013 centring a verdict on Delawar Hossain Sayedee. 

Police also claimed to have intelligence on violence in the district.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Kachpukur village's Nazrul Islam, a victim of Jamaat's atrocities in 2013, said, “It seems Jamaat men were plotting something over the election”. 

Several others in the district echoed his views.

Nazrul claimed that he survived with injuries two attacks on his life by Jamaat-Shibir men in 2013. “First they opened fire on me and when they failed, they hurled bombs at my business establishment. It all happened for my links with Awami League politics.”

He also claimed that the attackers killed his brother and burned down at least 10 houses belonging to his family members and other relatives.

In between February 28 and December 15, 2013, at least 18 people in Satkhira, mostly leaders and activists of the AL, lost their homes and valuables to Jamaat's atrocities.

The district had been made isolated as the Jamaat men blocked roads felling trees after party leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for war crimes.

Law enforcers could hardly reach the district as large holes were dug on roads at different points. People also could not get out of the district, locals recalled.

Mir Mostak Ahmed Robi, Awami League candidate in Satkhira-2, said, “Intelligence reports suggest that they [Jamaat-Shibir] may unleash violence again in Satkhira. The Border Guard Bangladesh and the Rapid Action Battalion told me that they are on alert.”

Sazzadur Rahman, superintendent of police in the district, said he had been focusing on the issue since he joined office a year ago.

“Using different video footage and documents, we are still identifying and arresting those involved in the 2013 attacks,” he said.

“According to intelligence reports, there are possibilities of further attacks. But they will not be able to do anything as our capabilities have increased,” the SP said. “We are raiding various Jamaat-dominated areas”.

Police sources said law enforcers were trying to prevent Jamaat-BNP men, out to create violence, from gathering in different areas. According to Satkhira police, 11,338 people were arrested in the district between June and November this year.

However, there were allegations that some unscrupulous policemen were detaining innocents and releasing them in exchange of money.

Locals in Debhata, Assasuni and Kaliganj upazilas also alleged that AL men were leading police to the arrests and some innocent people, who have enmity with the ruling party men, were becoming victims.

Locals said they were wrapping up their daily activities and returning home before dusk. “You will hardly see anyone outside after 8:00pm as they fear they might get arrested,” said Asaduzzaman, who runs a shop in Debhata.

Asked about the allegation, SP Sazzadur denied it. “If anything happens to anyone, the individual can come to me. I will take action immediately”.

Stepping into Chuadanga on Sunday afternoon, the first thing that stood out was the absence of “sheaf of paddy”, the electoral symbol of the BNP.

Only posters of the ruling party candidate Solaiman Haque Zoarder Selun and a few sporting the “hand fan” symbol of Islami Shasantantra Andolon and the “hurricane” symbol of Muslim League could be seen.

For a 200km stretch -- from Jashore to Kushtia, via Jhenaidah, Chuadanga-Meherpur -- the situation was the same.

In Chaudanga-1 constituency, comprising Chuadanga Sadar and Alamdanga upazilas, ruling party activists were campaigning in small groups. However, not a single BNP activist could be seen.

“Where is the BNP office?” this correspondent asked a tea stall owner. He pointed to a direction which led to an unassuming one storey building with no visible signs of being an office. There were no posters; not even of Md Sharifuzzaman, the Jatiya Oikyafront candidate. 

At the entry, a person introduced himself as Advocate Moniruzzaman, stepbrother of Shamsuzzaman Dudu, the BNP's central leader. He said the district BNP had rented out a portion of his house to use as the party office.

“But there are no activities here. All the election work is being conducted from Oikyafront candidate Sharifuzzaman's home,” he said.

Sharifuzzaman's house is a two-storey building with a large four-foot by two-foot banner, seeking votes for the “sheaf of paddy”, hanging in front of it.

Inside the house, piles of printed posters were gathering dust at a corner of the balcony.

This is also where a crowd of BNP activists could be seen.

Queried on why they were not hanging the posters, an Oikyafront worker said they had not gotten the chance to do so.

“Our workers cannot go to the field as ruling party men are attacking them. They even attacked my motorcade and injured the president of Jubo Dal,” said Md Sharifuzzaman.

Police are also filing cases against our activists, said Sharifuzzaman.

“Actually it seems as though we are contesting against the administration, not the Awami League. If the administration would not help them, they would not be able to stand in front of us,” he said.

Police have filed a total of seven cases against BNP men since the election commission announced the polls schedule. BNP men also filed three cases against AL activists, along with filing 12 complaints to the deputy commissioner alleging election code of conduct violations, he said.

“So we are waiting for the election day. We are not quitting…  If necessary, we will resist them,” Sharifuzzaman, a member of the district BNP convening committee said.

Another Oikyafront candidate, in Chuadanga-2, Mahmudul Hasan Khan Babu, had to leave his constituency for Dhaka due to oppression by ruling party men, he claimed.

However, when asked over phone, Babu said he had gone to Dhaka for some work and would return the next day. 

The AL candidate, Selun, denied allegations of using force against the opposition.

“I don't know whether the opposition is conducting their campaign or not; I am busy with my campaign,” Selun said.

The lack of pre-election festivity was glaringly present but more worrying was that the general people from Chuadanga and Meherpur seemed to have no interest in discussing the elections.

When this correspondent asked a grocer about the election atmosphere, he showed no willingness to discuss it or even try to guess who would win.

Another college teacher chose to speak but requested that his name not be published as he did not want “any trouble”.

“I do not want to talk in favour or against any of them,” he said.

On the way to Meherpur, at the banks of the Matha Bhanga river, trucks carried bauls singing songs inspiring people to vote.

Unlike Chuadanga, there were more BNP activists there.

Oikyafront candidate Masud Arun has been conducting election campaign from his office in College Road, Meherpur.

“In the town there is not much problem for our activists. But our campaigners are facing problems in the villages. Almost every day they are facing attacks by ruling party activists.

“I am conducting my campaign every day, but it has become a curse for my men. Police are arresting my people if they join my campaign.

“It seems my popularity is the reason behind the police repression on my party activists,” he said.

Arun alleged that in the last month, around 14 cases had been filed against thousands of BNP leaders and activists.

“They are even going the houses of BNP activists at night and arresting them. They [BNP activists] are not able to stay at home,” he said, adding that he hoped the police would play an impartial role in the coming days.  

He alleged that some police officers were arresting his men only for money. However, he did not raise allegations against his opponent Forhad Hossain Dodul, the candidate of the grand alliance led by AL.

When asked about Arun's allegations against the police, Md Mustafizur Rahman, superintendent of police in Meherpur, said they had rounded up only those who were accused in subversive cases filed earlier.

“We are trying to resist those who can cause anarchy during the election period,” he said. All of those arrested had records of creating anarchy in the past, he added.

“We have arrested many ruling party men who were involved in creating nuisance. But they never mention that.”