Two killed as Bangladesh poll campaign turns deadly
Dhaka, Bangladesh - Two people have been killed in pre-election violence in Bangladesh, police said on Wednesday, as early campaigning is marred by clashes between armed rivals that has left scores injured.
More than 100 people have been hurt in violence on the campaign trail since Monday, when candidates from the two major parties hit the hustings ahead of the December 30 poll.
Police said two supporters from the Awami League, the ruling party headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, died from injuries sustained in brawls with opposition rivals on Tuesday.
Mobs armed with knives and batons faced off at a rally in Noakhali, a southern district, where a pro-government demonstrator was seriously injured. “He died on the way to hospital. Some 30 to 35 people were also injured in the conflict,” Mahmud Nasir, the deputy district police chief, said.
In central Faridpur district, another pro-government demonstrator was beaten to death by opposition supporters from the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), police said.
“He was rushed to hospital but declared dead by doctors on arrival,” Faridpur police chief Jakir Hossain Khan said.
The 2014 election was also marked by political violence.
Hasina won that poll unchallenged after the BNP boycotted it, saying the vote was rigged.
The opposition decided to contest this election but says ruling party thugs had interfered with their campaign rallies.
It has already accused police of jailing hundreds of its cadres in a pre-election sweep.
The BNP’s organising secretary, Ruhul Kuddus Talukder, was arrested on Wednesday after a court ruled he could not contest the poll. The party also blamed police for the death of one of their campaigners in Dhaka, who fell to his death from a rooftop. Police denied the allegations.
Hasina, whose tenure has been marred by allegations of rights abuses and creeping authoritarianism, is seeking a record fourth term in office. Her chief rival, BNP leader Khaleda Zia, is behind bars on graft charges and the opposition is yet to field a candidate against Hasina. Around 100mn voters have registered for this ballot later this month.