General assembly elections voting begins in Bangladesh on Sunday amid heightened political tensions in the country. The country witnessed a rampant increase in violence in several districts before polling. At least 14 polling centres and two schools in 10 districts of Bangladesh were set on fire between Friday evening and early Saturday hours, reported Dhaka Tribune.
Bangladesh Elections LIVE updates
On Friday, a passenger train was set on fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Four people including two children died in the incident. On Saturday, miscreants torched a polling centre in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila. Miscreants burned down Sheikh Sundar Masterpara Primary School around 10 pm on Saturday.
Police arrested five people for their links with the burning of a polling centre in Mymensingh on Saturday. However, no person died during the attack, according to the Dhaka Tribune report.
Miscreants are mainly targeting those schools that were supposed to be used as polling centers. Another polling centre was set on fire in Feni and Rajshahi in separate incidents from Thursday night to Friday morning.
In Moulvibazar, the Sabia Government Primary School of Chandighat Union in Sadar upazila was set on fire by arsonists at around 8 pm on Friday. The school was also a polling centre for the Moulvibazar-3 constituency.
Most of the schools were targeted to disrupt the voting on election day on Sunday. Abdur Goffer Bablu, the school’s managing committee president, said that the doors of three rooms were gutted in the fire set by four arsonists.
In Habiganj, some miscreants set fire to the Dhalaipar Government Primary School centre in Chunarughat Upazila at around 12:15 am on Saturday.
However, no electoral material or equipment was damaged as the fire couldn’t reach it. Another set of fire incidents were reported from Government Primary School in Kaliakair Upazila, East Chandana Government Primary School in Gazipur city, TNT Ideal High School at Telipara in the city, Nishchinta Para Government Primary School, Mohius Sunnah Madrasa in the Bandar area and UCEP School (Dabba School) in Khulshi.
However, hartals and protests continue ahead of the general elections. The main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), issued a call for a 48-hour nationwide ‘hartal’ (general strike) commencing on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “illegal government”.
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Published: 07 Jan 2024, 08:28 AM IST