2018 Nighttime voting: Ex-CEC Huda blames govt officials
Former chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday told a court that he had been "kept in the dark" about the nighttime voting during the 2018 national election and blamed overenthusiastic government officials for the irregularities.
According to an official, the former CEC made the statement in a confessional deposition before Dhaka's Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ziadur Rahman in his chamber.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Investigating officer Syed Sajedur Rahman, an inspector at the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), filed a petition with the court to record his confessional statement after Nurul Huda was brought to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court around 11:30am.
Later, he was taken to the magistrate's private chamber, where he remained for several hours.
Around 2:30pm, he began giving his statement, which continued for approximately three and a half hours.
"Nurul Huda said in his statement that night-time voting was done without his knowledge, keeping him in the dark. He learned about it later, but by then, there was nothing he could do," a PBI official told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.
"He [Nurul Huda] also said the government officials responsible for overseeing the election acted overzealously," he said.
The magistrate sent Nurul Huda to jail after recording his statements.
Around 6:10pm, he was escorted to the lockup of the CMM Court.
Earlier, the defence filed a petition seeking his bail. But it was not heard.
The hearing on the bail petition is scheduled today, said Touhidul Islam, a defence lawyer.
Contacted, Enayet Hossain Mannan, additional DIG of Dhaka Metropolitan (North) PBI, acknowledged that the former CEC gave a confessional statement admitting his responsibility and clarifying the irregularities.
In the police forwarding report submitted to the court, Sajedur said that Nurul Huda voluntarily agreed to give a confessional statement regarding the 2018 elections during four days of interrogation.
The 11th parliamentary elections were held under the Nurul Huda-led Election Commission on December 30, 2018. The Awami League secured another landslide victory in the polls, which is widely considered by opposition parties and election observers to be rigged.
According to the forwarding report, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, along with the election commissioners, deprived the people of their right to vote by allowing law enforcement personnel and election officials to stuff ballot boxes with votes cast the night before the polling day in 2018.
Nurul Huda was arrested on June 22 after a top BNP leader filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, naming 24 individuals, including former CECs Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, Nurul Huda, and Kazi Habibul Awal.
He was handed over to police after being assaulted by a mob at his residence in Dhaka's Uttara.
The next day, he was placed on a four-day remand.
On June 27, a court granted police another four-day remand for further interrogation.
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