Police find no evidence in ballot preparation allegations against N'ganj presiding officer

Allegations were raised against a presiding officer over the preparation of ballot boxes and ballot papers just hours before voting inside a polling centre in Siddhirganj, under the Narayanganj-3 constituency.

However, police and election officials said no evidence supporting the claims was found.

The incident occurred around 7pm on Wednesday (11 February) at Dhankunda Popular High School, located at ward-8 of Narayanganj City Corporation, which serves as polling centre no 190.

Tensions briefly escalated after local BNP activists accused presiding officer Md Bashirul Haque Bhuiyan, former secretary of the Siddhirganj unit of Jamaat-e-Islami, of preparing ballot materials inside the centre, leading to a verbal altercation.

As the situation became tense, members of the joint forces rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Siddhirganj Assistant Returning Officer Shahina Islam Chowdhury, who was present at the scene, told The Business Standard that no truth was found in the allegations. "The presiding officer and other election officials were simply organising election documents as part of routine preparations."

"The allegations against Bashirul are not true, and he will continue to perform his duties as presiding officer," she added.

Siddhirganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Barik also said that after visiting the centre along with the returning officer, they found no evidence to substantiate the claims.

According to local sources, Bashirul is currently the headmaster of a school. After learning about his past political affiliation, local BNP activists entered the polling centre and raised allegations of ballot box and ballot paper preparation, which led to the confrontation.