Magistrate Assaulted During Poll Violence
1200 unidentified people sued in Banskhali
Police sued around 1200 unidentified people early yesterday for assaulting a magistrate of a mobile court during post-union parishad election violence in Banskhali upazila of Chittagong on Tuesday night.
Post-poll clashes in two other districts--Narail and Jessore--on the same night left at least 17 people injured.
Our Chittagong correspondent quoting the officer-in-charge (OC) of Banskhali Police Station said the supporters of a defeated member candidate attacked the supporters of a member-elect of Pukuria Union Parisad after announcement of the election results at Pukuria centre at 8:00pm on Tuesday night.
At one stage, the unruly supporters of the defeated candidate assaulted Magistrate Mozammel Hossain and tried to snatch ballot boxes from the election officials who were returning to the upazila headquarters from the polling centre.
Police foiled bid to snatch the ballot boxes and charged batons to disperse the attackers. They filed a case with Banskhali Police Station at around 12:30am, accusing around 1200 unidentified people of Pukuria and Khankanabad villages of assaulting the magistrate and attacking the election officials.
Soon after filing of the case, police launched a drive and arrested 22 people. Sources said male residents of the two villages fled their homes to escape arrest.
In Narail, at least 10 people were injured in a post-poll clash at Shoratola village in Auria Union under Sadar upazila on Tuesday night, reports our correspondent.
The injured were admitted to Narail Sadar Hospital and one of them was later shifted to Khulna Medical College and Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
Locals said the supporters of chairman-elect Akhter Hossain and defeated chairman candidate Abdul Motaleb clashed at the village following an altercation over the recently held election to Auria Union Parishad at around 10:30 pm.
At least six houses at the village were vandalised during the clash that continued for half an hour. Being informed, police rushed to the village and brought the situation under control.
In Jessore, the supporters of a member-elect and a defeated candidate locked in a clash at Khalisha Khali village in Dihi Union of Sharsha upazila, leaving at least seven people from both sides injured, according to UNB.
Five of the injured--Borhanuddin, his wife Salma Begum, Saiful Islam, Shamim Hossain and Nizamuddin-- were admitted to Jessore Sadar hospital while the rest given first aid.
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