Recovery Of Unused Ballot Papers In Khulna
It was a planned incident, says probe body member
The three-member probe committee formed Monday night by Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner has made some headway in investigation into the recovery of counterfoils of ballots and unused ballot papers outside the polling centre No 8 and from in front of Uadayan club in ward no-29 in Khulna city.
Headed by Assistant Police Commissioner (DB) Abu Sayem, two other members of the committee are AC of Khalishpur Zone Rabiul Islam and OC of Khanjahan Ali police station Mostafa Harun.
The probe body interrogated five persons at Khanjahan Ali police station yesterday.
They are presiding officer of polling centre no-8 Ujjal Kumar, assistant presiding officer Ataur Rahman, sweeper of USEF M Majid School (polling centre-8) Rizia Begum, her daughter Nasrin Begum and grand daughter Habiba.
During interrogation, Rizia Begum admitted that she had picked up lot of ballot papers from outside the polling centre Sunday night which bore polling symbols of pineapple and candle.
Pineapple and candle were election symbols of BNP mayoral candidate Moniruzzaman Moni and BNP councillor candidate Md Saiful Islam in ward No 2.
None of the picked up ballot papers were burnt, Rizia Begum admitted to the probe committee.
Presiding officer Ujjal Kumar Mandol admitted that six unused ballot papers were missing on the day of KCC elections.
“I informed the Returning Officer about this verbally”, he told the committee. Ujjal is an assistant professor at Government Teachers' Training College in Khulna city which is in ward No 2.
Seeking anonymity, a member of the probe committee said that they got more important clues about this sensitive incident.
“We are quite sure that it was a pre-planned incident and counterfoils of ballots and unused ballot papers belonged to polling centre No-8 at USEF M Majid High School in ward No-2”, he said.
Head of the probe committee, AC Abu Sayem said he would apply to police commissioner for extending time for investigation for further probe.
As per the earlier fixed time frame, the committee is supposed to submit its report today (Thursday).
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