Allegations of Pre-Poll Fraud Ignite Tensions in Narayanganj

A volatile situation erupted in the Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj on Wednesday night, as accusations of electoral malpractice and the controversial appointment of a polling official led to a standoff. The incident occurred at the Dhankunda Popular High School centre, a key polling station for the Narayanganj-3 constituency, drawing the immediate intervention of the military and senior administrative officials.

Chaos Over “Unsealed” Ballot Papers

Tensions spiked following the viral spread of a video on social media, which purportedly showed ballot books scattered across the floor of a polling booth. Local residents and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alleged that ballot papers were being surreptitiously unsealed and stamped under the cover of darkness.

Mumtaz Uddin, a former local youth leader, claimed he discovered a group of approximately ten unidentified individuals, including women, inside a locked room with the ballots. “When I demanded their identification, they attempted to flee,” he reported, adding that he managed to detain some of the individuals until authorities arrived.

Controversial Appointment of the Presiding Officer

Adding fuel to the fire were the political credentials of the Presiding Officer, Bashirul Haque Bhuiyan. The BNP candidate for the seat, Azharul Islam (Mannan), alleged that Mr Bhuiyan is a former Amir (chief) of the Siddhirganj Thana unit of Jamaat-e-Islami. This affiliation was later confirmed by Maulana Abdul Jabbar, the Narayanganj City Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, who acknowledged the official’s previous high-ranking role within the party.

Incident Fact File: Dhankunda Polling Centre

Official Dismissal of “Rumours”

The District Commissioner and Returning Officer, Raihan Kabir, moved quickly to de-escalate the situation, categorising the incident as a misunderstanding of “normal procedure.” He explained that the official was simply categorising ballots by room number, as per standard pre-poll protocol.

Regarding the officer’s controversial political past, the Commissioner stated:

“We appointed him in his capacity as a school teacher. Until today, no formal complaints regarding his political background had been lodged with us.”

Assistant Returning Officer Shahina Islam Chowdhury echoed this sentiment, assuring the press that an audit of the ballots confirmed the numbers were accurate and that no “outsiders” or party-political discussions were present within the secure zone. Despite these assurances, the heavy presence of army personnel remained on-site to maintain order as polling day approached.