Lakshmipur press owner confesses making election seals upon Jamaat leader's orders
Officer-in-Charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station, Wahed Parvez, confirmed the matter of the confessional statement to Prothom Alo.
The owner of a printing press who was arrested earlier over illegally producing six election seals in Lakshmipur gave a confessional statement yesterday (4 February) in court, reports the Daily Prothom Alo.
The printing press owner Sohel Rana, 40, disclosed the name of a Jamaat-e-Islami leader and said he instructed him to make the voting seals. Sohel Rana is a resident of Tumchar union in Sadar upazila and the owner of Mariam Press.
On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested Sohel Rana from Mariam Press on Old Court Road in the town, seizing six illegal voting seals, a computer, and a mobile phone used in the operation.
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Officer-in-Charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station, Wahed Parvez, confirmed the matter of the confessional statement to Prothom Alo.
He said, "Sohel Rana told the court that the seals were made on the instructions of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Saurav Hossain, also known as Sharif. On 30 January, Sharif placed the order to make the seals through WhatsApp. Sohel Rana then made the seals."
Saurav Hossain, also known as Sharif, 34, named in the confession, is the son of Md Shahjahan of Ward No. 4 of the municipality. He is the secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami in that ward. Since the incident came to light, he has been in hiding.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami expelled Saurav Hossain, accusing him of tarnishing the party's image.
When asked about the matter, district Jamaat ameer and candidate for Lakshmipur-2, SUM Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan said, "As soon as the allegations against Sharif surfaced following the seizure, we immediately expelled him from the party."
"He apparently had the seals made to 'teach voters how to vote.' However, this was an irresponsible act. Besides, the owner of the shop from where the seals were recovered is not a member of our party," added SUM Ruhul Amin.
Expressing grave concern, BNP Joint Secretary General and candidate for Lakshmipur-3, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, held an emergency press conference where he alleged Jamaat's involvement in the "seal scandal".
A senior police official, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, said the recovered seals are being investigated with due seriousness.
"The investigation is proceeding keeping two things in mind. First, it is being examined whether the seals were made for the purpose of training or rehearsing voters. Second, it is also under investigation whether there was any plan to use them on ballot papers on election day to rig votes or for any dishonest purpose," he added.
Officer-in-Charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station, Wahed Parvez, also said that they are examining the motive behind the making of the seals and whether anyone else was involved.
