Rebel candidates behind UP polls violence: Minister

Rebel candidates were responsible for the deadly violence during the recently held Union Parishad (UP) elections, law minister told the parliament today.

The incidents of violence took place in some parts of the country because of “intolerance” among rival candidates of the same political parties, Anisul Huq also said while replying to the lawmakers’ queries.

Anisul, who is also in-charge of the Election Commission in the parliamentary affairs, however, said the elections to 4,104 UPs, beginning from its first phase to the sixth phase, were held amid fierce competition.

According to media reports, the staggered UP elections, held between March 22 and June 4, was marred by violence that left over 126 people dead and thousands of others injured across the country. In most cases, those resorting to violence and also the victims of violence were from the AL, according to media reports.

The law minister’s comments came days after the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad blamed social instability and rigid stances of union parishad polls candidates for the election violence.

“Unrest is witnessed at every layer of our society and this is one of the major causes for the poll violence … we have to bring a change in our social concept,” Rakibuddin said at the post-polls press conference on June 4 at the EC Secretariat when asked who was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people during the union parishad polls.

Today, the law minister in a scripted answer said an executive magistrate conducted mobile court regularly to maintain the election code of conduct after the announcement of the polls schedules.

Besides, three more executive magistrates and a judicial magistrate were deployed in each upazila two days before balloting and two days after the election, he said.

On elections day a 20-member team of law enforcement agencies were deployed at each polling station while a 21-member one at each vulnerable one, he added.