3 villages 'besieged' since Mar 24 UZ polls!

Three villages in Rajapur have been paying a heavy price since Sunday's upazila parishad election as majority of the villagers supported independent candidate Milon Mahmud Bacchu.

Milon vied for the chairman post in the polls with pineapple symbol.

The villages are Hilakathi, Parerhat and Purbo Indrapasha in Rajapur upazila. Over 6,000 people live in the areas.

Awami League (AL) nominated candidate Moniruzzaman Monir won the election held on March 24.

On the day of election, a group of villagers of Hilakathi locked in a clash with a group of musclemen of Indrapasha village at Hilakathi Primary School polling center, said an officer of the centre, seeking anonymity.

Jahidul Islam, a supporter of Milon, said, “The musclemen, led by one Rafique and Sumon of Indrapasha, entered the centre and stamped the boat symbol. At the time, they resisted the supporters of AL candidate Monir, triggering a clash that left three attackers injured.”

The people of Indrapasha village have been harassing and torturing the villagers since the AL nominated candidate won the election, said Jahidul, also the resident of Hilakathi village.

People of the three villages could not go to the upazila headquarters in fear of further attack as they have to cross Indrapasha village going to the upazila for education and business purposes, he said.

Especially school and college going students and treatment seekers are the worst sufferers as many government institutions like Rajapur Government Girls' School, Rajapur Government College and Rajapur Upazila Health Complex lie there.    

One Hedaytul Islam Hidu has been passing his days amid hardship since Monday as he could not pull his rickshaw out of fear of violence.

Like him around 100 rickshaw and auto-rickshaw pullers of Hilakathi, Parerhat and Purbo Indrapasha confined themselves to their areas out of fear.

Rasel Khan, an HSC examinee of Rajapur Government College, said “my examination will start today but I don't know how I will go to the exam centre in the upazila headquarters because none can go through Indrapasha as the supporters of Monir always search vehicles to get us.”

“Some men of Indrapasha village beat me on Thursday when I was returning home after taking my HSC admit card from the college,” said another student Enamul of the institution.

Mim Akter, a student of Class IX at Rajapur Government Girls' School, said “Some women of the village stopped me from attending school on Monday and since then I could not go to school.”

Contacted, Md Jahid Hossain, officer in charge of Rajapur Police Station, said he will visit the areas soon to resolve the problem.

Monir, the newly elected upazila chairman, said “I will visit the areas soon and take necessary steps after talking with the villagers and my supporters.”

He hopes that the problem will be resolved soon.