A mobile court on Wednesday sentenced a candidate’s polling agent Emdadul Haque, a former UP member, to one year in prison in connection with casting fake votes in during upazila polls in Gabtali upazila of Bogra.
A presiding officer Shahjahan Hossain was also detained on charges of facilitating fake votes.
At that time, Tk50,000 was recovered from them.
The incident took place at the Majhpara Kusumkali Government Primary School centre in Rameshwarpur Union on Wednesday morning.
The district’s senior election officer Mahmud Hasan said that the Election Commission would make a decision regarding the detained presiding officer Shahjahan Hossain on Thursday.
According to Bogra Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Ranjan Sarkar, substitute returning officer Al Amin, Gabtali police station Officer-in-charge (OC) Abul Kalam Azad, and witnesses, polling was underway peacefully at the centre as of 11:30am on Wednesday.
However, with the help of presiding officer Shahjahan Hossain from Gabtali upazila’s Department of Livestock Services, former UP member Emdadul Haque was attempting to cast fake votes for chairman candidate Rafi Newaz Khan Robin, Vice-Chairman Aminul Islam Mukta, and female Vice-Chairperson Reksena Akhtar.
Upon discovery, a team of police nabbed presiding officer Shahjahan Hossain and Robin’s polling agent Emdadul Haque, along with 1,200 sealed ballots.
Earlier, 300 sealed ballots had been surreptitiously inserted into the box, while an additional 120 ballots went missing.
Returning officers Mahmud Hasan and Syed Abu Said arrived at the scene upon receiving the news.
Later, Al Amin, a teacher from Syed Ahmed College who was on the waiting list, was assigned the role of presiding officer.
Returning officer Mahmud Hasan mentioned that the executive magistrate later sentenced “pineapple” symbol polling agent Emdadul Haque to one year in prison.
Three duty officials relieved
Allegations surfaced at the Sonaray High School centre in Gabtali, Bogra, suggesting that supporters of a candidate infiltrated the centre and fraudulently cast ballots.
Consequently, the centre’s presiding officer and two assistant presiding officers were relieved of their duties due to negligence.
They are presiding officer ATM Aminur Rahman, assistant presiding officer Tariqul Islam, and assistant presiding officer Hafizur Rahman.
Two jailed for attempted vote fraud in Sonatala
Two individuals were sentenced to six months in jail for attempting to cast fraudulent votes at Rashidpur Government Primary School centre in Sonatala upazila in Bogra.
Sonatala police station OC Babu Kumar Saha confirmed that the two individuals involved in the incident on Wednesday morning had been transferred to Bogra Jail.
The convicted individuals are Khokon Mia, 19, and Sakib Hasan Sajib, 19.
Two injured in Gabtali over voting preference
Two activists supporting rival chairman candidate Arun Kanti Roy (horse symbol) sustained injuries in an attack for allegedly not voting for the “pineapple” symbol associated with chairman candidate Rafi Newaz Robin, in Gabtali upazila of Bogra.
The incident occurred at Nar-Yamala High School centre on Wednesday morning.
The injured individuals are Lutfar Rahman, 37, and Rafiqul Islam, 40.