Children in Jashore's Malopara village still have nightmares of people coming to attack them. And with the election on the horizon, panic has spread even among the adults.

It stems from their experience of the election day on January 5, 2014, when Jamat-Shibir and BNP men unleashed their fury in a series of mindless attacks on the locals. 

They vandalised 130 houses of the Hindu community and torched 10 more in Malopara because the villagers had dared to cast votes. The attackers also looted valuables from the Hindu houses, the locals said.

Although many of the Jamaat-BNP men involved in those attacks have been arrested or are  on the run, a sense of foreboding prevails, particularly among the women and children of the village fishing community living on the banks of the Bhairab river. 

At least two families of the village have sent their young women to their relatives' homes as the polls near.

“I tried to convince my wife to stay home, but she insisted not to take any risk. I gave in to her resolve and sent her to a relative's house in Coat Chandpur in Jhenidah on Wednesday,” said Laltu Sarkar, a local.

Sumoti Sarkar, 14, and Sathi Sarkar, 7, two daughters of his elder brother also accompanied Laltu's wife.

Now an eight-grader, Sumoti was then a class VI student when 300 to 400 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men wielding sharp weapons and hockey sticks attacked Malopara in Abhoynagar upazila in 2014.

Some 600 Hindus, including women and children, had to flee their village and seek shelter on the other side of the river. While many crossed the river by boats, others swam across.

“Sumoti is so traumatised that she still has nightmares of people coming to attack us,” Kali Dashi Sarkar, mother of Sumoti, told this correspondent while visiting the village on Wednesday.

The hallmark of the attack can still be seen on the tin-roof of Sumoti's house.

That was the third and final attack of the day that came following a rumour that Shibir activist Abu Bakkar had been beaten and killed by the Hindus.

Asked why people still feared the attacks as Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men were out of the area due to police raids, a number of villagers said it was because some of those attackers still roamed around the area freely.

Besides, some attackers had now engaged with the local Awami League, they added.

Earlier, the Jamaat-Shibir men attacked twice, but the residents had managed to resist them from entering the village, said Bishwajit Sarkar.

In the first attack, Bishwajit and five others, including Shyamol Biswas, Kamal Sarkar, Sunil Biswas and Susil Sarkar were seriously beaten.

Their second attempt to enter the village was thwarted by villagers, locals said.

Abhoynagar police lodged a case naming 39 accused. After investigation, police submitted a charge sheet accusing 100 people 16 FIR names were dropped.

A number of villagers said many who took part in the attacks were not made accused in the charge sheet. Some of those charge-sheeted secured bails.

Bishwajit, general secretary of ward-9 unit of Prembagh union, said the government had rebuilt 46 houses and renovated 26 others.

The prime minister visited the village on January 23 that year and before her visit they were also brought under national grid while the government built a primary school after purchasing a piece of land. A temporary police camp was built in the village, but they want it to be a permanent one.

Bishwajit said now they wanted to meet the PM as some of their demands -- for a permanent police camp, creation of jobs, lease of a nearby water body -- were still not fulfilled.

The political deadlock we find ourselves in has been festering in the background for a very long time. The ruling party's expected opposition for BNP's demand for an election-time nonpartisan interim government is escalating the situation to the brink of chaos. And yet, we see no visible attempts at dialogue or de-escalation from either side.

In fact, it may be fair to say that there doesn't seem to be much thought or tact behind the ruling party's actions at all. Whether it be an acute case of groupthink or a desperate attempt to maintain party control, the current AL rhetoric seems almost entirely aimed at their dedicated supporter base. They seem to be ignoring the fact that a large segment of voters will not be loyal to any one party, instead opting to vote strategically depending on current circumstances and future predictions. In political science, these voters are called "swing voters." We are a two-party state for all practical purposes, and so who the winner will be almost always comes down to who can turn the most swing votes on Election Day. Needless to say, expecting to turn swing votes based on voters' sense of gratitude for past development work is not a savvy political strategy to build a campaign on.

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Politicians must give dialogue a chance

The true fuel behind BNP's current momentum is the wide-scale public disapproval of the government's handling of rampant corruption, misuse of law, and general disregard for human rights. However, instead of trying to win back the trust of those who have become disillusioned, the incumbents seem to only be responding with force projection. The turnouts at the opposition's rallies clearly indicate a large voter base who disapprove of the current regime's policies and actions. But is the current regime even listening to them? The time is now ripe for targeted policy reforms and proactive public statements that address the main concerns of all people of Bangladesh. Instead of doing any of that, AL has allowed the opposition party to dictate the narrative. The AL response to the BNP rhetoric (of restoring voting rights to the common people) has been to try and paint the BNP as a party of "terrorists" who are apparently only concerned with the destruction of Bangladesh. This, of course, is a total political non sequitur, which does not resonate with the demands of the common people at all. Labelling the other side as "evil" is undoubtedly a worrisome course of action for the future of a democratic nation.

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For every rally, there is a counter-rally

Awami League has to bite the bullet and admit that there are serious concerns in people's minds about whether a free and fair election is impossible under any one political party. Historical precedent is not on their side. However, it must be stated firmly that this is not the issue of any particular political party in Bangladesh. It is an issue for every single political party in Bangladesh. Despite the hollow claims made by our ministers during meetings with foreign diplomats, the truth of the matter is that, for the last decade, democracy has not been an option on the ballot table. Right now, as the system stands, the people of the Republic of Bangladesh have no real choice regarding who gets to be their leader. All political parties of our great nation have under-delivered on the promise of a democratic Bangladesh, which our heroic freedom fighters had fought and died for. Instead of delivering on democracy and the rule of law, those who were and have been in power opted to bend the laws and make new laws, all to ensure that their political party could remain in power at the time. Therefore, even if BNP manages to get elected in the next term, if this issue remains unresolved, they too will face this roadblock and the people of Bangladesh will suffer.

One of the key reasons so many developed nations are expressing interest in Bangladesh's election is because they are assessing whether Bangladesh is truly stable and democratic enough to be considered for greater roles in the UN mechanism, as well as on the world stage. With multiple high-level visits from the US, an EU election exploratory mission, and election-related observations from all our biggest Western investors and development partners, these matters did not take shape in a vacuum. The world is keeping an eye on Bangladesh.

For there to be actual change, there needs to be a drastic overhaul of the system. And the change must start with the way elections are held. History has shown that technocrats and intellectuals alone cannot restore democracy in our nation. The will to restore democracy must be political, and it must stem from the people. For democracy to exist, the people need to demand it without fear, and politicians must be held accountable for whatever promises they make. And if politicians fail, they must account for their failure in the halls of our democratic institutions. Violence, rebellion, and uprisings cannot be the ways to take back power.

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Column by Mahfuz Anam: Our political culture – you reap what you sow

Unfortunately, our history so far shows that major political shifts have only occurred as a result of violent uprisings on the streets. How can this be the precedent for a modern democratic Bangladesh that aims to step out of the third world and begin to chart a course towards the first? One of the key reasons so many developed nations are expressing interest in Bangladesh's election is because they are assessing whether Bangladesh is truly stable and democratic enough to be considered for greater roles in the UN mechanism, as well as on the world stage. With multiple high-level visits from the US, an EU election exploratory mission, and election-related observations from all our biggest Western investors and development partners, these matters did not take shape in a vacuum. The world is keeping an eye on Bangladesh.

The Awami League has a real opportunity to set Bangladesh on the right track. Changes to the term limit and the introduction of a bicameral parliament can easily be preemptively executed by the ruling party, which would not only deflate a significant portion of the momentum behind the BNP's demands, but would also send a message that they are listening to the people. Compromise can be a crucial first step in the dialogue process and can bring about positive change. However, this cannot take place if politics devolves into primitive stick fights on the streets. It is high time for politicians to put down the sticks and start talking compromise, for all our sake.

Zillur Rahman is the executive director of the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) and a television talk show host. His Twitter handle is @zillur

As violence continued with each phase of the Union Parishad polls gone by, the Election Commission has asked the home ministry to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the next phases.

“Maintaining law and order as well as ensuring voters' security, especially minorities', are the prime pre-requisites for free, fair, impartial and peaceful elections,” said the EC in a letter to the home secretary on Sunday.

“The letter has been sent to remind them [ministry officials] of their duties during elections. Their cooperation is very crucial for fair polls,” said EC Secretary Sirazul Islam.

The EC wrote the letter against the backdrop of violence and irregularities that took place centering on the four phases of UP elections between March 22 and May 7. 

Arresting criminals, recovering arms, curbing violence, increasing police patrol and ensuring voters' security are necessary for ensuring a congenial atmosphere for the next phases, it said.

At least 71 people were killed and some 6,000 injured in violence over UP polls until May 4, according to Shushashoner Jannoy Nagorik (Shujan), a citizens' platform for good governance.

Thirteen others were killed in violence as of yesterday from last Thursday, according to The Daily Star findings.

Referring to media reports and field-level findings, the EC in the letter stated that violence had increased with time. Some have been killed and some injured; arson attacks, vandalism and looting took place. In some cases, minorities have come under attacks.

Allegations have been raised against supporters of some candidates of preventing their rivals from submitting nomination papers and intimidating rival candidates. There are even accusations against some law enforcers and other “responsible” field-level officials of favouring particular candidates or remaining inactive when irregularities took place.

Many think that violence has increased because listed criminals are at large and no stern action has been taken against arms-bearers, the EC said in the letter signed by its Deputy Secretary Farhad Ahmad Khan.

The EC asked the home ministry to “intensively” monitor activities of law enforcers and to issue directives to law enforcement agencies and field-level officials to ensure peaceful polls.

Violence has continued since the schedule of the first phase was announced in February. 

Following widespread violence in the first and second phase polls, the EC on April 13 held an emergency meeting with top-level officials of law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces to discuss the law and order situation.

But that hardly brought any change in the third and fourth phases.

During the latest polls on May 8, the EC suspended voting at 51 polling stations for irregularities.

At Jugirhat Hossenia Hafezia Madrasa polling centre in Munshirhat UP, it suspended the voting because of illegal stuffing of ballot boxes.

On Sunday, the commission asked the returning officer (RO) of the UP under Chauddagram upazila of Comilla to file a case against a presiding officer and an assistant presiding officer for their involvement in stuffing ballot boxes.

It also asked the RO to take necessary measures for suspending a police officer for his “negligence in duties” when criminals were carrying out the illegal act.

Meanwhile, civil society organisations, including Governance Advocacy Forum and Shujan questioned the UP polls due to widespread violence and irregularities.

A deputy secretary of the EC said that in many cases field-level officials temporarily appointed for election duties had not properly informed the EC of the irregularities that took place.

Elections to 725 UPs were held on March 22 in the first phase, 639 UPs on March 31 in the second phase, 615 UPs on April 23 in the third phase and 703 UPs on May 7 in the fourth phase.

Polls to 733 UPs are scheduled for May 28 in the fifth phase and 724 on June 4 in the sixth phase.

The officer-in-charge of Kolaroa Police Station in Satkhira allegedly sought vote for Awami League's electoral symbol “Boat,” violating the electoral code of conduct.

“I, on behalf of the administration, want to say you one thing that you will cast your vote for the pro-liberation forces, for the 'boat' symbol,” the OC Maruf Ahmed said while speaking at a programme on Thursday.

A video clip of his speech went viral on social media where many people expressed their shock and dismay over the issue.

Narrating the incident, Habibul Islam Habib, a former BNP lawmaker and the Oikyafront candidate in Satkhira-1 constituency, submitted a written complaint to the Election Commission and demanded his immediate withdrawal.

“Some ruling party men, led by OC Maruf, have been carrying out violent attacks on the residents of BNP's leaders and activists for the last couple of days,” Habib told The Daily Star, adding that he had been staying outside of his constituency for the last few days due to security concerns.

“The minimum election atmosphere is even absent in Satkhira-1 constituency,” he said, adding that the local returning officer did not take any steps in this regard despite repeated appeals. 

OC Maruf, however, denied the allegation.

He told The Daily Star that he attended the programme for ensuring security and gave a welcome speech that was manipulated later by incorporating those words.

The video clip shows that Maruf asking all the audience to vote the AL-led government to power again for the continuation of the ongoing development.

 Merina Akter, assistant superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) in Satkhira said it was not appropriate for him to speak about politics.

District returning officer SM Mostafa Kamal said they already had informed the district superintendent of police to take steps against the police officer in question.