Voting begins in Bangladesh's crucial parliamentary elections
Dhaka (PTI): Voting began on Thursday morning in Bangladesh's crucial general election -- the first since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in massive nationwide protests in August 2024.
The voting started in 299 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies across the country from 7:30 am (local time) and will continue until 4:30 pm. The counting of votes is expected to begin shortly after the voting concludes.
Voting in one constituency has been cancelled due to the death of a candidate.
The 13th parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously along with a referendum on a complex 84-point reform package.
The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history.
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The contest is mainly between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its once ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of Hasina's now-disbanded Awami League. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' interim government last year disbanded the Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls.
A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents are contesting the election. The BNP has fielded the highest number of 291 candidates. There are 83 female candidates.
Yunus, who has promised to quickly transfer power to the elected government, has urged the political parties, candidates and other concerned parties to maintain restraint, tolerance and democratic behaviour on the polling day.
In a televised address to the nation on the eve of the polling, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin called upon the voters to cast their votes freely. He urged political parties, candidates, and voters to maintain a peaceful and cordial environment.
He said that representatives from 45 countries and organisations, including election management bodies and international institutions, are observing the polls.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said nearly 9,00,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed to ensure security during the election, state-run BSS news agency reported.
Authorities have deployed Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Rapid Action Teams (RATs) across key areas of the capital.
Police said they have provided a list of risk-prone polling centres to the EC, which showed that out of 2,131 polling centres in Dhaka, 1,614 were risk-prone. However, the army said they have identified two centres in Dhaka city to be "risky".
For the first time, drones and body-worn cameras are being used for election security.
EC data showed that first-time voters made up some 3.58 per cent of the nearly 127 million voters.
For the first time, nearly 8,00,000 expatriate Bangladeshis, who have registered with the poll body, will be able to vote through an IT-based postal ballot system.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has called upon all citizens to exercise their franchise by going to their respective polling stations and casting their votes for candidates of their choice.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Rahman said, "Dear pro-democracy brothers and sisters, I request everyone to exercise their voting rights in a festive and peaceful environment. Vote for whomever you deem fit. Vote according to your own choice, and ensure your state rights and ownership."
"Insha'Allah, from tomorrow, your Members of Parliament will take on the responsibility of serving you. I will take on the duty of ensuring that every victorious candidate of the sheaf of paddy (Dhaner Shis) properly fulfills their responsibilities," he added.
Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, speaking to reporters after voting, described the day as one of “great joy,” calling it “the birthday of the new Bangladesh.”
He said the nation had “completely renounced the nightmarish past” and urged citizens to participate in both the parliamentary election and the referendum. He concluded his remarks by extending greetings to the nation, saying “Eid Mubarak.”
Meanwhile, there have been reports of overnight clashes in Bangladesh.
Three persons have been arrested by police on allegations of distributing ballot paper photocopies among activists of a party at Kalai area of northwestern Joypurhat, Ittefaq newspaper reported.
The Daily Star reported “ballot stuffing allegations spark clash between Jamaat and BNP activists” in northeastern Sylhet’s Balaganj sub-district where a local Jamaat leader and several others entered a polling centre at around midnight when BNP activists rushed resulting in scuffles requiring security interventions.
The BNP nominee there alleged ballot stamping had begun at 11:00pm with the presiding officer's help.
In capital Dhaka, police arrested a Jamaat leader over buying votes while crude bombs were exploded near seven polling centres in southwestern Gopalganj hours before voting..
In a midnight Faceboook statement, Jamaat Ameer or chief Shafiqur Rahman called the incidents as “rumours” urging people to ignore them saying “dear countrymen, a ‘laylatul gujob’ (night of rumours) is underway, don’t pay a heed to them”.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
