Faridpur: Three presiding officers have been withdrawn in Faridpur and Jhenaidah districts over allegations of irregularities, while a presiding officer was physically assaulted at a polling centre in Sylhet.
According to United News of Bangladesh, in Faridpur, two presiding officers were removed from separate constituencies due to allegations of allowing unauthorised individuals to enter polling centres. The officials who were withdrawn are Md Al Amin of Hitaishi High School centre in Faridpur-3 (Sadar) and Zahidul Islam of Ashapur Madrasha centre in Faridpur-1 (Alfadanga-Boalmari-Madhukhali). Faridpur Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Mohammad Kamrul Hasan Molla has confirmed that new presiding officers have been appointed to replace them.
In Jhenaidah, Jesmin Ara, the presiding officer of Salimunnessa Girls’ School centre under the Jhenaidah-4 constituency, was removed after 23 pre-signed result sheets were discovered on Wednesday night. Jhenaidah Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Abdullah Al Masud stated that such irresponsible conduct would not be tolerated to ensure a free and fair election. A new presiding officer, Shamsuzzaman Khan, a senior lecturer at Kaliganj Shaheed Nur Ali College, has been appointed. Jesmin Ara later claimed she had signed the result sheets unintentionally and destroyed them upon realizing her mistake.
In Sylhet, a presiding officer of the Sylhet-3 constituency faced assault following a dispute over the entry of a candidate’s agent at Mahishashi polling centre in Balaganj upazila around 11:30 pm on Wednesday. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Saiful Islam reported that three individuals attempted to enter Shahjalal Jamiya Islamia School and College polling centre in Sylhet city, posing as election observers. Local residents detained them and handed them over to the police. Law enforcement officials also recovered several bamboo sticks from the Chowkidekhi petrol pump area in the city late at night. Sylhet Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Sarwar Alam emphasized that no one is permitted to enter polling centres at night.