Bangladesh: BNP election office vandalised in Dinajpur amid campaign tensions
Dhaka, Feb 1 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) election campaign office was vandalised in Nawabganj upazila of Dinajpur in Bangladesh amid heightened political tensions ahead of the upcoming national elections, local media reported on Sunday.
According to Dhaka Tribune, the incident occurred at the BNP campaign office located in the Dolardarga area of Putimari Union under the Dinajpur-6 constituency, which comprises Birampur, Nawabganj, Ghoraghat and Hakimpur. Witnesses alleged that activists of Jamaat-e-Islami attacked the office, breaking chairs and tables and tearing down banners and campaign materials. Two BNP activists who were present at the office at the time were also reportedly assaulted during the attack.
Speaking to the media, Nure Alam Siddiqui, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Nawabganj Police Station, said that earlier in the afternoon, BNP activists loyal to BNP Standing Committee member and MP candidate Dr AZM Zahid Hossain had brought out a campaign procession in support of the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy.
According to the OC, after Maghrib prayers, supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Anwarul Islam began a roadside campaign meeting near the BNP office. An argument reportedly broke out between the two groups over the use and volume of microphones during the campaign activities. The dispute later escalated, and Jamaat activists allegedly assaulted two BNP workers and vandalised the BNP campaign office, he added.
Following the incident, Assistant Returning Officer and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Zillur Rahman said that members of the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and Ansar were deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward situation and to maintain law and order.
The incident comes amid rising political friction as electioneering intensifies across the country ahead of the February 12 national elections.
Earlier this month, as campaigning got underway, the BNP issued an indirect warning against Jamaat-e-Islami, urging voters not to “destroy the country” by supporting parties it accused of collaborating with Pakistani occupation forces during the 1971 Liberation War.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the remarks while addressing an election rally at the BD High School ground in Thakurgaon district’s Sadar upazila, from where he is contesting the Thakurgaon-1 constituency. “Those who assisted the Pakistan Army even at the last moment are today asking for votes to govern the country. Don’t ruin the nation by voting for them,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star quoted Fakhrul as saying.
Political observers say the Dinajpur incident reflects the growing volatility surrounding campaign activities as rival parties intensify their outreach ahead of polling day.
