Four jailed in Naogaon UP election violence case

 

Nuruzzaman Liton District Representative Naogaon

A court has sent to jail four people, including newly elected chairman of Ganeshpur Union Shafiqul Islam Babul Chowdhury, in a case of violence in the union council elections in Manda upazila of Naogaon district.

On Sunday morning, February 20, eight accused in the violence case surrendered to Naogaon Senior Judicial Magistrate Amli Court-2 and applied for bail.

Following the hearing, Judge Bikash Kumar Basak denied bail to four persons, including newly elected chairman Shafiqul Islam Babul Chowdhury, and directed to send them to jail. The other two accused in the case Rashidul Islam Chowdhury and Nazim Uddin Mandal have been granted bail.

Defendant's lawyer Biswajit Kumar said the 54 accused in the case had taken bail from the same court. The other eight accused appeared in court on Sunday and sought bail. Among them, the newly elected chairman of Ganeshpur Union Shafiqul Islam Babul Chowdhury, his son Sabbir Chowdhury, Shah Alam Chowdhury Bakul and Mehedi Hasan Mithun were denied bail and sent to jail. The other two accused have been granted bail.

According to the police sources, clashes and chases took place between the activists and supporters of the two candidates in Ganeshpur Union of the upazila on the day of allotment of symbols on November 12 centering on the fifth phase of Union Parishad elections. Awami League-nominated boat chairman candidate Hanif Uddin Mandal and independent chairman candidate Shafiqul Islam Babul Chowdhury's 8 workers-supporters were injured. Independent chairman candidate Imran Hossain Rana died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on November 18 while undergoing treatment.

Abdul Hamid, an activist of the boat candidate, filed a case against 60 people, including independent candidate Shafiqul Islam, on the night of November 12. On the other hand, in the case of the death of Imran Hossain Rana, an activist of an independent candidate, his mother Rezia Parveen filed a case against 200 anonymous persons at Manda Police Station mentioning 104 names including Hanif Uddin Mandal, the chairman candidate of the boat.