‘Some DCs, SPs acting partially’

Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher yesterday said the party has informed the chief adviser that the conduct of some superintendents of police (SPs) and deputy commissioners (DCs) at the field level appears “biased”.

A Jamaat delegation, led by the party’s Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna yesterday evening.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar and Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan were also present at the meeting.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Taher said, “We have prepared a list of those [DCs and SPs]. We will continue to observe. We have verbally informed the Election Commission by identifying such individuals. We have not submitted anything in writing. We conveyed the matter to the chief adviser today.

“If the Election Commission does not take appropriate steps, the chief adviser should intervene. Because we firmly believe the chief adviser personally wants a free and fair election.”

Taher also said some advisers around the chief adviser are trying to mislead him. “We have drawn his attention to that.”

He further said the party raised another issue with the chief adviser. 

Taher claimed the government has gone “overboard” regarding the chief of a particular party by providing “excessive” security and extra protocol, saying that it clearly violated the principle of equality on the electoral field.

“We’ve said we have no objection if anyone is given enhanced security or protocol. But as one of the major parties, the ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami must also be treated equally. If this does not happen, the nation will hold the Election Commission responsible for biased conduct, and the level playing field will be destroyed.”

Taher also questioned the role of the Election Commission in scrutinising nomination papers. “We are already seeing some discrepancies. That is why we drew the chief adviser’s attention today so that this can be remedied.”

“We are hearing that attempts are being made by a particular party to exert pressure on the Election Commission so that nominations which should be cancelled due to these faults are not cancelled.”

If such conduct continues, he warned, “doubts and despair” may grow among the people regarding the prospect of a fair election.

Taher said, “You know BNP activists are going door to door distributing so-called family cards and farmer cards to voters. These have no legal authority whatsoever. This is a clear act of deception. Even before the election, they are resorting to such tricks to mislead people. So it is obvious what will happen if they win the election.

“Today we told the chief adviser that this is illegal. We have also been telling the chief election commissioner that steps must be taken to stop this, as it will spark clashes in different areas.”

When his attention was drawn to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s allegation that Jamaat leaders and activists are going door to door collecting bKash numbers, Taher said, “Did Fakhrul bhai accompany us to see whether we are collecting bKash numbers? Since we are raising the issue of their so-called family cards, they also feel the need to say something. That is why he made this comment.”