Violence broke out in Bangladesh's Munshiganj town on Friday, claiming at least one life and also injuring 10 other persons, said officials on Saturday. The development comes a day after the results for the parliamentary elections were declared in the country, which were swept by Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Following the violence, a protest was organised by students at the Dhaka University, demanding justice for the victim. Videos have also gone viral, in which the students could be seen raising slogans and asking who is responsible for the death in Munshiganj. "Direct action is needed against the murderers," the students could be heard in the video.
The security has been heightened in the town now, and additional forces have been deployed.
According to reports, a crude bomb explosion had taken place at a polling centre in Munshiganj while the voting was underway on Thursday. The blast happened at the Makhati Gurucharan High School polling station in Mollakandi Union of Sadar upazila, and it involved supporters of rival candidates. Though the incident caused a brief disruption in voting, authorities described it as a 'minor incident'.
"Supporters of BNP-backed candidate Kamruzzaman (Sheaf of Paddy symbol) and independent candidate Mohiuddin were involved," news agency ANI quoted Officer-in-Charge Mohammed Mominul Islam of Munshiganj Sadar police station as saying.
Several other districts marred by violence
According to a report Bangladesh's Prothom Alo, violence broke out in several districts after the polling concluded and the results were declared, injuring more than 80 people. The report claimed that 35 people were injured in retaliatory attacks and clashes in Bagerhat on Thursday and Friday. Similarly, 50 people were injured in violence in Jhenaidah, Kishoreganj, Meherpur, Patuakhali and Dinajpur during the same period.
The houses of several BNP leaders were also targeted during these attacks. The party has urged people to police in maintaining the law and order, while adding that security personnel are monitoring the situation. "We have zero tolerance for any criminal acts, and police operations are ongoing to apprehend those involved," Prothom Alo quoted Bagerhat Superintendent of Police (SP) Hasan Chowdhury as saying.
Coming the 13th Bangladesh parliamentary elections, which saw a voter turnout of 59.44 per cent, they were swept by the BNP, which won 209 of the 300 seats. The party has now made a comeback to power after over two decades. The Islamist ideologist Jamaat-e-Islami won just 68 seats. The Awami League, led by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was disbarred from contesting the elections.
