BNP's Ishraque seeks removal of Sutrapur OC Matiur over bias

BNP candidate for the Dhaka-6 constituency Ishraque Hossain has submitted an application to the Election Commission (EC) seeking the removal of Sutrapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Matiur Rahman, alleging biased conduct "that could jeopardise" a free and fair election.

Ishraque met EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed today (7 February) at the Election Commission Building and later confirmed the matter to journalists that earlier, a written application signed by his agent Saidur Rahman Mintu was submitted to the EC secretary.

According to the application, on 4 February local residents informed them that supporters of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Dhaka-6 candidate Md Abdul Mannan had stockpiled a large quantity of fake ballot paper seals and local weapons at Cosmopolitan School and College, which serves as polling centre no 73.

The alleged stockpiled items included machetes, ramdas, cricket stumps, hockey sticks, GI pipes and firearms. 

The application further claimed that the school premises was being used as an office by Jamaat-e-Islami.

It stated that when the matter was reported to OC Matiur, he visited the site but instead of seizing the weapons, allegedly assisted in removing them.

The application added that the issue was later reported to an executive magistrate and an army striking force. 

After approximately four hours, the executive magistrate conducted a raid, searched different rooms of the polling centre and recovered 152 cricket stumps, it added.

The application claimed that the incident indicated the OC of Sutrapur Police Station was supportive of Jamaat-e-Islami, creating concerns that the election may not be conducted fairly due to such biased behaviour.

To ensure a free and fair election, the application demanded that the officer-in-charge of Sutrapur Police Station be removed from the post.