Politics
AL activist in B'baria ends up in jail after promoting violence to secure election victory
AL activist in B'An Awami League activist named Sheikh Zubair Hasan has openly threatened violence to secure victory in Brahmanbaria-1 constituency for the party in the upcoming 12th National Elections.
He threatened to kill people if necessary during a discussion meeting held at the residence of another local AL activist Imran Hasan Ranju in Nasirnagar upazila's Ward No. 2 of Gokarna Union on Thursday night.
"My activists cannot remain inactive," Hasan said, and ordered them to commit 1-2 murder if 'necessary'.
According to witnesses, he assured that either he or the villagers would take responsibility for the act.
His statement has since circulated on social media platforms, particularly Facebook, causing widespread concern.
The remarks have left other candidates and their supporters in fear.
Officer-in-Charge of Nasirnagar Police Station, Sohag Rana, said he was arrested and subsequently sent to court under Section 151.
Incumbent AL govt 'more dangerous than an autocrat': Moyeen Khan
BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Friday said the current Awami League government is more dangerous than an autocratic ruler.
Speaking at a discussion meeting, he also said the democracy now in Bangladesh is dead even 52 years after the country’s independence.
“The present government doesn’t care about a fair election as it thinks it has popularity among the people of Bangladesh. They also think why is an election necessary when a one-party government stays in power?,” the BNP leader said.
Read: BNP to take out V Day rally at Nayapaltan Saturday
He also said the government is going to hold a lopsided national election on January 7 by sharing seats among the candidates of Awami League and its alliance partners.
"The problem is that when a government pretends to be democratic, it becomes more dangerous than a dictator. That is the reality,” the BNP leader said.
Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), arranged the discussion meeting titled 'Great Victory Day: Aspirations for the Democratic Bangladesh and Current Context’ at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day and the Victory Day.
Dr Moyeen, an BNP Standing Committee member, said the government identifies itself as a democratic government while brands BNP as a terrorist party by carrying out false propaganda to mislead people and the democratic world.
Read: AL pleased with latest UN statement on Bangladesh elections: Info Minister
"I would like to say that the government will not be able to gain any thing with such false propaganda. They won’t be able to survive by resorting to lies,” he said.
The BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh sacrificed their lives and shed their blood in the Liberation War in 197 with an objective to establish democracy. “But the irony is that now after 52 years of independence, we see democracy is dead in Bangladesh. What could be a bitter truth than this,” the BNP leader said.
BNP to take out V Day rally at Nayapaltan Saturday
BNP will take out a colourful rally on Saturday celebrating the Great Victory Day along with other programmes.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Friday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said they will bring out the procession at 1pm from in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
He said the rally to be organised by the BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units will end at Moghbazar.
The BNP leader urged the leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies to make the rally asuccess with their spontaneous participation.
The BNP sent a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner seeking permission to hold the victory rally.
A BNP delegation, led by party vice-chairman Netai Roy Chowdhury went to the DMP office at Bailey Road on Wednesday and submitted the letter.
Besides, Rizvi said the BNP will hoist national and party flags atop the party offices in the morning.
Party leaders and activists, led by its standing committee members, will place wreaths at the National Mausoleum at Savar at 8:40am.
Later, they will place wreaths and offer fateha at the grave of late BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital at 10:3am, marking the Victory Day.
BNP will also hold a discussion highlighting the significance of the Victory Day.
The party’s different units and associate bodies will also mark the day with various programmes across the country.
AL pleased with latest UN statement on Bangladesh elections: Info Minister
Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said on Friday that they welcome the UN's latest statement regarding Bangladesh which calls for holding polls without fear of any repercussions, contending that the inherent message of the statement goes against what he called the 'BNP-Jamaat' position - with both parties having declared they will resist the polls.
Presence of foreign observers conducive for transparent poll: Hasan Mahmud
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after exchanging views with the newly-elected executive council of Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) at his Minto Road residence in the capital.
"It's a good statement. We welcome the UN statement. And you know who is obstructing the vote and trying to prevent it. BNP-Jamaat have announced that they will resist the election. They are creating fear, burning cars, and opening railway tracks so that people do not go to the polling stations. So I think this statement goes against them. Because this statement is against those who want to prevent the vote,’ he said.
'BNP itself the biggest violators of human rights': Hasan Mahmud
Asked whether BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are carrying out arson, Hasan Mahmud told reporters, "The way they did in 2013-14-15, they are not able to do it now. And it is our responsibility to bring it down to zero. The government and administration are working towards this goal.”
Asked about the discussion between the Awami League and Jatiya Party, he said the discussion is going on. There can be a strategic alliance with anyone.
Conspiracy to destabilize the country ahead of Human Rights Day exposed: Hasan Mahmud
The newly elected DRU executive council members, led by its President Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, Vice President Shafiqul Islam Shamim, and General Secretary Mohiuddin, were present at the time, among others.
AL is holding one-sided seat-sharing vote: Khokon
BNP Joint Secretary General Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon on Friday said the government is holding a unilateral election of seat sharing as it has no public support.
"Why does not Awami League want to hold free and fair elections?" Because they have no public support. They’re arranging a lopsided election by destroying the election process over the 15 years,” he said
Speaking at a discussion meeting, the BNP leader also said the media outlets are running news about how the government Is walking on the path of one-sided polls by distributing seats before the voting.
“How bankrupt a traditional political party like Awami League is that it’s moving ahead with the blueprint of such a election of seat sharing,” he observed.
A faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad, led by Reza Kibria, organised the discussion titled’Protect Vote, Country and Democracy’ at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), marking the Great Victory Day.
Khokon warned that Awami League will face serious consequences by holding the election of seat sharing. “They’ll play a game in the name of polls by sharing seats and they’ll end up fighting among themselves...there’ll be no benefit from doing this as the government will not be able to stay in power by holding such an election.”
He said the Awami League government has to go no matter what strategy it resorts to in the face of a movement of the country’s people.
“It’s not a movement of only BNP and any other political parties as it’s a united movement of people to restore their voting rights,” the BNP leader observed.
He claimed that though the government and the Election Commission are making all efforts to hold the 12th parliamentary elections on January 7, there is no enthusiasm among the people about the polls.
Khokon said the government will not be able to avoid its fall as no dictators in the world could finally survive against the will of the people.Sheikh Hasina will not be able to survive either."
Awami League won't guarantee victory of any of its allies in election: Quader
Awami League will not guarantee victory of any of its allies in the election, said AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday.
Also, there is no scope to leave more than seven seats for the allies, he said at a press briefing at AL president’s political office at Dhanmondi in the capital on Friday afternoon.
No scope to change party decision over independent candidates: Quader
Independent candidates will give their full effort in the election, he said.
There will be a good election in the country, and there will be no favouritism. But BNP is gathering arms to foil this election, added Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges minister.
Awami League not worried about any sanctions: Quader
AL Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam and Sujit Roy Nandi, among others, were present at the press briefing.
Issue of seat sharing was not discussed: Quader after meeting with Jatiya Party
AL candidate Shammi Ahmed loses appeal against cancellation of her candidacy
Awami League aspirant in Barishal-4 constituency Shammi Ahmed has crashed out of the upcoming election race as the Election Commission on Friday turned down her appeal against the cancellation of her candidacy by the returning officer.
But independent candidate and incumbent lawmaker Pankaj Debnath remained in race in the constituency as the Commission rejected another petition submitted by Shammi Ahmed.
Also read: 12th parliamentary polls: AL shares 7 seats with allies
The EC turned down the two petitions lodged by Shammi Ahmed following hearings at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.
AL international affairs secretary Shammi Ahmed submitted the two petitions challenging the decisions of Returning Officer – one is against the cancellation of her nomination paper and another is acceptance of Pankaj Debnath's nomination paper.
Shammi in her petition alleged that Pankaj Debnath concealed information in the affidavits submitted with his nomination paper.
Earlier, the Returning Officer cancelled Shammi's nomination paper on ground of having dual citizenship.
Also read: Hero Alom will withdraw candidature from national poll
The EC on December 10 started hearing and disposing of appeals filed by aggrieved aspirants against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers during the scrutiny.
Int’l organizations, foreign govts shouldn’t rely solely on BNP’s accounts to reach a conclusion, political observers say
Political observers and academics have reiterated the need for cross-checking the veracity of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) claims of wholesale rights violations by the government and law enforcement agencies. The party, seeking foreign intervention, is perpetuating a narrative that lacks objectivity and is riddled with inaccuracies, they are of the opinion.
The leadership has also never acknowledged involvement of party men in arson attacks and violence that have affected many, they observed.
“Any responsible global power or international organization should not rely solely on BNP’s accounts to reach a conclusion in any situation. Rather, a comprehensive cross-checking system should be in place,” said Prof Mesbah Kamal of the History Department at Dhaka University.
“Without adequately verifying, if any foreign country or organization acts on any allegation raised by a political party, they run the risk of losing credibility. Such practice should be avoided unless the country or organization does not care about appearing biased,” he added.
During the recent blockades, video reports emerged of BNP’s senior leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi leading a sudden rally in Dhaka from which picketers threw brickbats at buses and other vehicles.
Read: Govt is not harassing anyone on political grounds: Momen
Just a day before, the BNP leader told media that Awami League could be carrying out acts of sabotage to divert public attention.
On November 28, at an event organized by the opposition party, family members said that Hafsa Akter, mother of two children, has been arrested by the police. The children had not seen their mother in days and their father, Abdul Hamid Bhuiyan — involved in BNP politics — has also been away from home to avoid arrest since BNP's grand rally in Dhaka on October 28.
A newspaper report quoted Abdul Hamid’s father saying that police were looking for his son, and unable to find him, they took away his son’s wife, Hafsa.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police, however, has protested this claim. Released CCTV footage carried by TV report shows a man identified as Abdul Hamid going to a Dhaka court where he “exploded a cocktail.” A woman and a child were accompanying Abdul Hamid at the time, and the woman was later identified as Hafsa.
Following the death of Shahidul Islam, President of the Gazipur branch of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, on June 25, local BNP leaders reportedly approached his wife and asked her to join their anti-government movement.
Read: No scope to change party decision over independent candidates: Quader
Mayer Daak is known as a platform of the families of victims of enforced disappearance allegedly by government agencies. It consists of grieving family members who are still waiting for their loved ones. There are, however, allegations that BNP is leveraging the tragedy of these families to push the anti-government agenda.
Shafiqullah Monaem, a Bangladesh Chhatra League activist from Barishal, went missing in 2007 when the military-backed caretaker government took charge of the country.
Referring to Mayer Daak, Monaem’s brother said, “How can they call themselves free of bias and credible when they refuse to talk about the families who lost their loved ones during other regimes?”
The elderly mother of Moazzem Hossain Tapu, who went missing from Dhaka years later, said, “They asked me to attend political rallies of BNP, but I refused to join.”
“Involvement of state or non-state actors in disappearances need to be investigated but global bodies should not rely entirely on accounts of certain political parties,” said Prof Mizanur Rahman, who teaches law at Dhaka University and is a former Chair of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh.
“We have also seen reports of re-appearances of many youths who earlier joined militant groups,” he added.
Political observers also referred to the case of BNP leaders bringing a man named Mian Arefy to the party’s central office in Dhaka for a press conference where Arefy introduced himself as an “advisor to US President Joe Biden” and assured BNP and Jamaat of “support from the US President to ensure regime change in Bangladesh.”
Later at the DB office, Arefy said that he “only followed instructions he received at the BNP office.”
Jan 7 national polls: 255 aspirants so far get back candidacy
A total of 255 aspirants got back their candidacy in the last five days, while four others lost their candidature as the Election Commission is dealing with nearly 500 appeals filed by aggrieved hopefuls to contest the upcoming national election slated for January 07.
The commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on December 05 started hearing and disposing of the appeals submitted by aggrieved aspirants, challenging the acceptance and cancellation of the nomination papers by the returning officers.
Also read: 631 polling stations out of 793 are vulnerable in Khulna: Police
The EC accepted some 260 appeals, while turned down 213 ones and kept its decisions pending regarding 20 appeals.
With the acceptance of 260 petitions, some 255 aspirants got clearance to run the January 7 general election, while four aspirants lost candidacy though the returning officers earlier declared their nominations valid.
But two petitions were lodged against a single aspirant whose nomination paper was declared valid by the RO concerned. The Election Commission accepted the two petitions.
The commission accepted 56 appeals on Sunday, 51 on Monday, 61 Tuesday, 48 on Wednesday and 44 on Thursday.
Also read: EC’s desire to stop protests is unprecedented and anti-people: Rizvi
On Thursday, the EC turned down 52 petitions and kept its decision pending for four, hearing 100 appeals at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.
The commission will conclude hearing appeals on Friday. On the final day, the EC is supposed to hear more than 60 petitions including one for Awami League aspirant Shahjahan Omar in Jhalakathi-1 constituency, AL aspirant Shammi Ahmed and independent aspirant Pankaj Debnath in Barishal-4, AL aspirant Shamim Haque and independent aspirant AK Azad in Faridpur-3.
If anyone becomes aggrieved even with the EC’s decision over candidature, the person has scope to go to the higher court, challenging it.
A total of 561 aspirants filed appeals before the Election Commission, challenging the decisions of the returning officers over the cancellation or acceptance of nomination papers.
Also read: National Election: EC declares 61 more candidates valid
Earlier, a total of 2,716 aspirants including 747 independents submitted nomination papers in 300 constituencies throughout the country to run the 12th national parliamentary election.
But the returning officers accepted 1985 nomination papers and rejected 731 others during the scrutiny conducted on December 1-4.
Most of the 731 nomination papers were rejected on three grounds - mismatch in the 1pc voters’ signatures submitted by independent aspirants, loans and utility bills defaults, and dual citizenship.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 17 and the candidates can go for electioneering from December 18 to January 5 (8am), 48 hours before the balloting, which will continue from 8 am to 4pm without any recess on January 7.
Out of 44 registered political parties, 29 parties are contesting the general election, which is being boycotted by major party BNP and some others.
Govt playing tricks in allowing BNP rally to mark Victory Day: Rizvi
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday alleged that the police are dillydallying to give permission to his party in organising a ‘Victory Day’ rally.
Speaking at a virtual briefing, he also alleged that the police created obstacles to the BNP in paying homage to martyred intellectuals.
Also read: EC’s desire to stop protests is unprecedented and anti-people: Rizvi
"They (police) are playing the role like the invading forces in 1970 by resorting to tricks to give the BNP permission for the victory rally to mark the Great Victory Day," the BNP leader said.
The BNP has already sent a letter to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner seeking permission to hold a rally in the capital on December 16 to celebrate the Victory Day.
A BNP delegation, led by party vice-chairman Netai Roy Chowdhury, went to the DMP office at Bailey Road on Wednesday and submitted the letter.
Also read: Ruling party MPs, ministers have Aladdin’s lamp: Rizvi
Rizvi also alleged that the police have kept BNP’s the Nayapaltan the central office sieged for more than one and a half months. “Our leaders can’t go to Nayapaltan.”
He claimed that the police raided the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan on Wednesday night and searched every room without any permission.
The BNP leader also said the police took away a wreath and other things kept at the office to pay homage to martyred intellectuals.
He said the law enforcers also threatened to arrest if anyone comes to the office to go to pay homage to the martyred intellectuals. “But they (govt) say they believe in the spirit of the Liberation War."
Under the leadership of the OC of Gulshan police station, Rizvi said a team of police entered the BNP chairperson's office and brought out the wreath and tore it publicly. “Which country are we living in? We feel like slaves, we feel like subjects. The Awami League has its Prime Minister as Empress, and they can arrest whoever they want and file cases against them and keep them in jail.”
Also read: Home Ministry bans political gatherings from Dec 18
He said the government is going to hold a bizarre election with its own and dummy candidates with the help of its puppet state machinery.
He called upon the country’s voters to boycott the lopsided election and resist it from happening.