Five leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were held in Magura on Thursday night for allegedly distributing blankets among patients and attendants at a government health facility to seek votes.
The arrests took place around 11:00 pm at the Upazila Health Complex in Mohammadpur, said Mohammadpur police officer-in-charge Abdur Rahman.
The detained are Hussain Ahmed Kabul, Ameer of Mohammadpur Sadar Union branch; Mukul Hossain, Ward 6 President; Obaidullah bin Hafiz, Habibullah, and Ershad.
According to officials, the blankets were distributed to patients and their relatives at the health complex, allegedly in favor of Jamaat’s candidate Mohammad Mushtarshed Billah Baker for the Magura-2 parliamentary constituency. Such activities in government facilities violate the election code of conduct.
Mohammadpur upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Shahnur Jaman said the Electoral Inquiry Committee fined each of the five individuals Tk 3,000 and released them. The 32 blankets recovered from them will be donated to an orphanage.
He added that the administration is taking strict measures to enforce the election code of conduct and will not tolerate violations by any individual or organization.