At least two people, including a teenage boy, have died during separate incidents of violent clashes among supporters of candidates in the Union Parishad elections in Chittagong.
The deaths were reported during voting at Nalua and Bajali unions in the district’s Satkania Upazila.
In Nalua, 13-year-old Md Tasib died around midday, when a clash broke out between supporters at two outside the polling station at Morphala RMN High School.
Tasib was the nephew of Mizanur Rahman, a UP member cabinet of ward no 8.
“He wasn’t even a voter. He went to see the polls just like everyone else and had to lose his life,” Mizanur told.
Earlier in the day, a man, estimated to be 35 years old and yet to be identified, was killed during a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates in the elections to the Bajalia union.
“We received reports of two deaths. Details are yet to come,” Satkania upazila administration chief (UNO) Fatema Tuz Zohra told.
Meanwhile, voting to two polling stations in Khagaria Union was suspended following a clash that broke out between supporters of two chairman aspirants, confirmed Acting Executive Magistrate Omar Farooq.
Clashes broke out between supporters of Awami League's Akhter Hossain and independent candidate Jasim Uddin around 9:30 am on Monday regarding the occupation of Khagaria Ganipara Government Primary School Center and Khagaria Union Parishad Center polling stations.
The incident occurred despite police seizing two licensed weapons from Akhtar Hossain, who announced public shooting during a polls campaign last Thursday.
Both sides opened fire, engaging in a violent clash causing voters to flee the scene.
Additional law enforcers including Border Guard Bangladesh members were deployed to the area around half hour after the clash broke out.
Omar Farooque said that police fired two shots to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, allegations of independent candidates' agents being evicted from Sonakania Union Centers 6, 7, 8, and 9 have also surfaced.
Sonakania Union 17 no ward independent candidate Selim Uddin claimed he was attacked while voting was underway.
Selim, the organizing secretary of the ruling party affiliate Jubo League’s South Chittagong unit, said that he was attacked for protesting the chairman ballots being cast fraudulently.
As many as 16 unions in Chittagong’s Satkania Upazila went to polls on Monday in the seventh phase of the Union Parishad election. Incidents of violence and clash have been reported from several unions since the polls opened at 8am.
