report in Dhaka Tribune, May 3, 2018 at 10:52 PM
Police in Khulna and Gazipur have “created a reign of fear” among BNP leaders and workers ahead of the upcoming city corporation elections in both metropolises, a standing committee member of the main opposition party said on Thursday.
BNP leaders believe the situation is so tense, the Election Commission should withdraw the commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police and the superintendent of police in Gazipur in order to create a level-playing field ahead of the polls, which will be held on May 15.
“The situation is so bad now that two of our [BNP] standing committee members, who had travelled to Khulna to participate in campaigning, are literally trapped in their hotel rooms,” Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan told journalists after emerging from a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda.
“The police (in the two cities) have created a reign of fear among BNP leaders and workers in the past two days. The withdrawals of the SP [Gazipur] and commissioner [Khulna] are a must if the commission wants free and fair polls in the cities.”
At a press briefing earlier in the day, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed made a similar allegation against both of the high-ranking police officials.
“The police administration has created an intimidating situation across the two cities at the behest of the two influential persons,” Rizvi said. “The Khulna police commissioner and Gazipur police superintendent must be withdrawn, otherwise it will be the elections of snatching votes in the two cities.”
A four-member BNP delegation led by Moyeen Khan met the chief election commissioner at the Nirbachan Bhaaban in the Agargaon area of Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.
According to sources present during the meeting, CEC Nurul Huda assured the BNP delegation that he would consider the plea.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2018/05/03/bnp-demands-withdrawal-khulna-gazipur-police-chiefs-city-polls/
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