'Like a bolt from the blue': CEC on Hadi shooting a day after polls schedule announcement

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has expressed deep concern over the shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, an aspiring Dhaka-8 candidate and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, less than 24 hours after the announcement of the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum.

Speaking at a meeting with law enforcement agencies today (14 December) to review the overall law and order situation ahead of the polls, the CEC said, "The incident felt like a bolt from the blue to me. I announced the election schedule one day, and the very next day such an incident occurred. It is extremely unfortunate."

According to Election Commission sources, the commission is viewing the incident with utmost seriousness.

The high-level meeting was held at 4pm today at the Election Commission conference room, chaired by the CEC. 

Senior officials present at the meeting included the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, the inspector general of police (IGP), the director general of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the director general of Ansar and VDP, and the commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

'The intention was to create fear'

At a press conference after the meeting, journalists asked Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah whether the shooting of Hadi was creating an atmosphere of fear among candidates and voters.

In response, Sanaullah said, "The very objective of those who wanted to carry out this act was to create an atmosphere of fear." 

He added that the Election Commission has sat in meetings with law enforcement agencies precisely to counter this fear and that "this will not be allowed to succeed."

Regarding the impact of such incidents on the election, he said that after the schedule is announced, any incident, directly or indirectly, can affect the election, and this is not unusual. 

Expressing satisfaction with the preparedness of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the law enforcement agencies, the EC member said, "We are definitely satisfied. That is why we announced the schedule on time."

In reply to a question about the activities of identified criminals who are at large, he said many criminals had been arrested earlier but were later released on bail over time – a matter the Ministry of Home Affairs and the forces have informed the commission about. He also noted that the suspect in the attack had previously been in legal custody, calling it a "glaring reference" to the risks of the situation.

Clarifying the Election Commission's position, Sanaullah said there are no concerns regarding the election. The election will be held on time. Both the commission and the government are aware of and alert to any attempts to obstruct the electoral process, he said.

While the Commission is satisfied with the actions taken by law enforcement agencies discussed in today's meeting, he said further strengthening is needed in some areas. These include setting up additional checkpoints to create deterrence, arresting criminals roaming freely, and intensifying operations against illegal arms and ammunition.

He said 'Devil Hunt Phase-2' will be carried out in a coordinated manner. At the same time, intelligence activities will be strengthened, with emphasis on coordination of intelligence among all relevant agencies.

The commissioner also said attention has been directed to recent trends in border areas, particularly the southeastern region and Rohingya-populated areas. He added that it is being examined whether these incidents are linked to any larger acts of sabotage.