Juba Dal leader hacked to death in UP polls

Polls-related violence caused the death of one more person on Saturday, raising the number of people killed during the ongoing second phase of the Union Parishad elections to thirteen.

Twelve persons were killed earlier in violence caused by the UP polls which began on May 31 amidst stray clashes, intimidation and snatching of ballot boxes.

Polling in 205 unions was held on Saturday and elections in 182 more UPs are scheduled to be held today.

The New Age correspondent in Jhenaidah reported that one person was chopped to dead and 20 others injured in a clash during election on Saturday morning which took place at Kastosagra polling centre under Surat union.

The deceased was identified as Jamirul Islam, 35, son of Izahar Ali Joardar of Kastosagra. Jamirul was the president of Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal in the village, as well as the nephew of chairman candidate Manjurul Islam.

Local people said that the clash began when some of the supporters of Awami League's chairman candidate Kabir Hossain and member candidate Abdur Rashid were trying to expel the polling agents of BNP-backed candidate Manjurul Islam at about 9.30am from the Kastosagra polling centre.

They said that the AL supporters appeared in the polling centre with sharp and lethal weapons and swooped on the BNP men.

Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Jhenaidah thana, said that Manjurul's nephew Jamirul, Toyeb Ali, Asad, Shahin, Pitul, Alam and 15 others were injured by the assailants. They were rushed to Jhenaidah general hospital. No case was filed till Saturday noon, said the police.

District election officer Rokanuzzaman said that the election in Kastosgara polling centre had continued in spite of the clash. Additional law enforcers were deployed to maintain law and order, he said.

BNP's Jhenaidah thana unit president Munshi Kamal Azad Pannu alleged that the AL men were stamping the ballot papers in the polling booths, and when Jamirul protested the AL thugs attacked the BNP and JCD activists.

The Election Commission, in the wake of widespread violence in the second phase of the UP polls, on Friday issued a six-point directive to the district administrations, urging them to ensure free and fair elections. Law-enforcing agencies must be more dynamic in discharging their duties, said the EC.

Source: New Age