United News of Bangladesh

Independent candidate of Brahmanbaria-2 and expelled BNP leader Rumeen Farhana alleged on Thursday that she was forced to come to Dhaka on the first day of the electioneering, accusing the administration and police of bias. “Today I have come to the Election Commission with my written explanation. I was supposed to be in the field, but I was forced to come to Dhaka because I think the administration and the police are not as neutral as they should be,” she said after meeting three election commissioners at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital. The Electoral Enquiry and Adjudication Committee on Monday last issued a show-cause notice to former MP Rumeen Farhana over alleged violations of the electoral code of conduct in Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, which includes Sarail and Ashuganj upazilas and two unions of Bijoynagar upazila. The notice accused her of obstructing judicial duties and allegedly threatening an executive magistrate and showing a thumb gesture at the magistrate during a mobile court operation. In the notice, Rumeen was asked to submit a written explanation by 2:00 pm on January 22. Responding to the allegation, Rumeen said she had already submitted her written reply to the inquiry committee. She further alleged that her supporters had been attacked, beaten and sent to hospitals, with some sustaining head injuries, while houses were vandalised and set on fire. “So far, no cases have been filed. “I have come to inform the Election Commission that as an independent candidate, I am to contest against major political parties (in the election),” she said. ‘Will Tell EU’ Rumeen also said she would brief European Union election observers about the situation later in the day. “I want to say very clearly that no political party should dare to play games or manipulate the election process in Bangladesh. People have struggled for 15 years for a fair election. Regardless of which party we belonged to, we fought from our respective positions. We will not allow another manipulated election in Bangladesh,” she said. Replying to a question, Rumeen said she would definitely remain in the election race and continue campaigning. “I want a fair and credible election. No matter what happens, I will stay in the race till the end,” she added, saying she would keep the media and observers informed regularly. The Election Commission on December 11 announced the schedule to hold the 13th parliament election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12 next. The election campaign began officially on Thursday after the Commission allocated electoral symbols on Wednesday to as many as 1,972 candidates contesting the upcoming election from 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2. The number of contesting candidates would rise further once contestants from Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 are added. Currently, there are nine valid candidates in the two constituencies. Altogether, the total number of candidates across the 300 constituencies stands at 1,981—comprising 1,732 candidates from 51 registered political parties and 249 independent candidates.

Barrister Rumeen Farhana, an independent candidate for the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, on Saturday quarrelled with an executive magistrate over an alleged violation of the election code of conduct. The violation was related to holding a campaign rally before the official campaign period. The incident occurred in the Islamabad (Gogad) area of Noagaon Union under Sarail upazila when Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Shahria Hasan Khan went to stop the rally. In a video that went viral on social media, it was seen that Rumeen Farhana became agitated when the magistrate attempted to discuss the alleged violation. She told him, “This is the last time, I am warning you, I will not listen to this. Today I am leaving just for politeness and I will not do it in the future.” She and her supporters also alleged that others are violating the code of conduct but the administration did not take action against them. At one stage, she warned the magistrate, saying, “If I do not allow you, you cannot leave this place, Sir, mind it.” She also said, “Those whose words you are following now, they used to stay under the bed by holding their ears during Sheikh Hasina's time. I am Rumeen Farhana, I do not need any party." Executive Magistrate Shahria Hasan Khan said the rally violated Rule 18 of the election code of conduct. “As the programme was against the rules, we went there and asked them to stop holding the rally,” he said. According to Section 18 of the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Elections Rule, 2025, the electioneering can be conducted from three weeks before the polling day until 48 hours prior to the start of voting, subject to compliance with the prescribed conditions. “Outside the stipulated campaign period, national and international days can be observed as well as religious, social and similar events can be organised without hampering the electoral environment and in compliance with the code of conduct. However, prior consent or permission from the returning officer concerned must be obtained,” said a circular signed by EC Deputy Secretary Mohammad Monir Hossain. The executive magistrate added that after the rally was stopped, its organiser, Md Jewel, was fined Tk 40,000. “The candidate left the spot without being able to hold the rally and behaved disrespectfully towards me,” the magistrate said, adding that the matter had been reported to the Additional District Magistrate.

All seven BNP members of the parliament have resigned today as per the decision of the party’s standing committee. BNP’s international affairs secretary Rumeen Farhana announced the decision from the party’s Golapbagh rally this afternoon. The MPs who resigned are: Md. Zahidur Rahman, Thakurgaon-3; Md. Mosharof Hosen, Bogura-4; Gulam Mohammad Siraj, Bogura-6; Md. Aminul Islam, Chapainawabganj-2; Md. Harunur Rashid, Chapainawabganj-3; Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, Brahmanbaria-2; and Rumeen Farhana, Women’s Reserved Seat. She said the MPs sent their resignation through email and will physically submit those to the speaker of the parliament tomorrow. “We’re not benefiting from being MPs. We joined the parliament to see how much space we get. But it is all the same, being MPs or not, so we have announced resignation,” she said. Read more: BNP’s much talked-about Dhaka rally begins, Khandaker Mosharraf may announce 10-point demand Earlier, BNP MPs were asked to resign from parliament as the party will announce a 10-point demand, including dissolution of parliament, from today’s rally. BNP is holding its last rally from where the party will announce their demands for launching a simultaneous movement.

BNP MP Rumeen Farhana alleged in Parliament on Wednesday that police stations in the country do not want to register complaints of families of those who are subjected to enforced disappearances for lack of rule of law in the country. Speaking on a cut-motion on Law Ministry, she said three people — trader Noman, madrasa student Nasim and mosque Imam Shohidul in Narayanganj’s Araihazar -- remained missing for nearly a month. Having failed to get any cooperation from local police stations, Rumeen said the family members of the three missing men held a press conference in the capital seeking the whereabouts of their near ones. “Nothing can be known yet about their whereabouts and there’s no discussion about it since they aren’t celebrities.” She said Bangladesh was supposed to present a report on the country’s human rights situation to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) in 1999, but the report was placed nearly 20 years later under immense pressure. She said CAT expressed deep concern over the incidents enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killing, torture, snatching individual’s freedom, taking bribes and some other issues of Bangladesh after the report was submitted. Also read: Two BNP central leaders quit Besides, the BNP female MP said a report of the US State Department says that the government or its agents are involved in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance and torture on people while journalists and others are being harassed and arrested willfully. She said the UN and other international rights bodies repeatedly urged the government to take specific steps to prevent repression and violation of human rights by the law enforcers. “A few months back they made the same call.” Rumeen said every incident of enforced disappearance, repression on Hefazat activists, taking confessional statements by force, extrajudicial killing, torture on common people by law enforcers are crimes against humanity. “These incidents also manifest how a state has collapsed.” She said these incidents cannot happen at a regular interval if there is minimum rule of law, judiciary and minimum values of democracy in the country. Later, Law Minister Anisul Huq slammed Rumeen for raising the issues irrelevantly. Also read: AL changing democratic structure: BNP “Rumeen Farhana seems to have forgotten that I’m the law minister. We’re here talking about the issues of the Law Ministry. Everything she said was a matter for the Home Ministry, but she has imposed those on me.” The minister said the BNP MP raised the issue as she got a chance to speak. “I would like to tell her not to make irrelevant comments.” Later, speaking on a cut-motion on the Education Ministry, Rumeen said though the issues are relevant to the Home Minister, the Law Minister went to the UN and responded to these questions before the CAT. “But now he has imposed these issues on the Home Minister.” She said new universities are being set up through enacting laws, but it is necessary to think about the standards of those universities and their teachers. Stating that the UK-based QS published the world university ranking 2021, the MP bemoaned that neither Dhaka University nor Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) are there in the list of 800 prime universities. Rumeen also criticised the government for keeping the educational institutions shut for a long time showing an excuse of coronavirus when everything is open.