At least 15 people were hurt during an attack on an election campaign of opposition Jatiya Oikyafront in Chattogram’s Fatickchhari today.

The injured include Oikyafront’s candidate for the constituency Azim Ullah Bahar and his associates, our local staff correspondent reports.

Bahar alleged, Chhatra League men known as ‘Tayeb Bahini’ attacked his campaign at Tokirhat around 2:30pm and foiled their campaign.

Fatickchari police station Officer-in-Charge Babul Akter confirmed The Daily Star of the attack and said “miscreants” swooped on his campaign.

Confirming reports of injuries, he said BNP men blocked a road at Jongkar Road area protesting the attack and vandalised some vehicles there. Five men were detained in this connection and additional police deployed.

Meanwhile, the AL men allegedly attacked another election campaign of Islami Front Bangladesh candidate Saifuddin Ahmed Maijbhandari at Bhujpur union in Fatickchhari.

Saifuddin told The Daily Star: “Cadres of AL candidate Najibul Bashar Maijbhandari attacked us during our campaign and took away our loud speakers.”

“The attacks left 12 workers of my party injured,” claimed the candidate.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhujpur Sheikh Abdullah said: “We went to the spot and found nothing. We have advised the candidate to file a written complaint.”

Harunur Rashid, Krishak League secretary of Dhaka North unit, was attacked allegedly by the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its students' wing Islami Chhatra Shibir at a makeshift election campaign office of Awami League in Dhaka.

Ten Jamaat-Shibir men, coming on a motorcycle, hit Harunur Rashid, 45, with a heavy object when he was sitting at the campaign office of Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, a contender of Dhaka-15 constituency, at Mirpur around 9:00pm, Dadon Fakir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirpur Police Station, claimed.

Awami League activists managed to catch the perpetrators and hand them over to police, the OC said.

Among the detainees, one is Jammat men while two others are Shibir activists, he added.

Police has recovered a crude bomb from them, the police official said.

Harunur Rashid has been admitted to Shaheed Suhrawardi Medical College and Hospital.

A case was filed in this regard at the concerned police station. Dhaka(North) General Secretary of Tati League, SM Mosharref Hossain filed the case accusing 191 BNP leaders and activists.

Okiyafront candidate for Chattogram-5, Sayed Mohammad Ibrahim was attacked during electioneering near Chittagong University today.

His motorcade came under attack in front of Gate No. 1 of the university as his motorcade was passing through, our local correspondent reports.

The motorcade of Oikyafront candidate of Chattogram-5 constituency came under attack on December 23, 2018. Photo: Rajib Raihan

At a post-attack press conference held at Chattogram Press Club, Ibrahim blamed his rival Awami League candidate Barrister Anis for the attack.

“They wanted to kill me so that Anis can win in the election,” he accused. “We are preparing to submit a written complaint to the returning officer.”

Oikyafront candidate for Chattogram-5 constituency came under attack on December 23, 2018. Photo: Rajib Raihan

He claimed, four Oikyafront activists were injured in the attack.

With the December 30 election approaching, people in Satkhira, known as a stronghold of the Jamaat-e-Islami, fear that the party may resort to violence again, the way it did in 2013 centring a verdict on Delawar Hossain Sayedee. 

Police also claimed to have intelligence on violence in the district.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Kachpukur village's Nazrul Islam, a victim of Jamaat's atrocities in 2013, said, “It seems Jamaat men were plotting something over the election”. 

Several others in the district echoed his views.

Nazrul claimed that he survived with injuries two attacks on his life by Jamaat-Shibir men in 2013. “First they opened fire on me and when they failed, they hurled bombs at my business establishment. It all happened for my links with Awami League politics.”

He also claimed that the attackers killed his brother and burned down at least 10 houses belonging to his family members and other relatives.

In between February 28 and December 15, 2013, at least 18 people in Satkhira, mostly leaders and activists of the AL, lost their homes and valuables to Jamaat's atrocities.

The district had been made isolated as the Jamaat men blocked roads felling trees after party leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for war crimes.

Law enforcers could hardly reach the district as large holes were dug on roads at different points. People also could not get out of the district, locals recalled.

Mir Mostak Ahmed Robi, Awami League candidate in Satkhira-2, said, “Intelligence reports suggest that they [Jamaat-Shibir] may unleash violence again in Satkhira. The Border Guard Bangladesh and the Rapid Action Battalion told me that they are on alert.”

Sazzadur Rahman, superintendent of police in the district, said he had been focusing on the issue since he joined office a year ago.

“Using different video footage and documents, we are still identifying and arresting those involved in the 2013 attacks,” he said.

“According to intelligence reports, there are possibilities of further attacks. But they will not be able to do anything as our capabilities have increased,” the SP said. “We are raiding various Jamaat-dominated areas”.

Police sources said law enforcers were trying to prevent Jamaat-BNP men, out to create violence, from gathering in different areas. According to Satkhira police, 11,338 people were arrested in the district between June and November this year.

However, there were allegations that some unscrupulous policemen were detaining innocents and releasing them in exchange of money.

Locals in Debhata, Assasuni and Kaliganj upazilas also alleged that AL men were leading police to the arrests and some innocent people, who have enmity with the ruling party men, were becoming victims.

Locals said they were wrapping up their daily activities and returning home before dusk. “You will hardly see anyone outside after 8:00pm as they fear they might get arrested,” said Asaduzzaman, who runs a shop in Debhata.

Asked about the allegation, SP Sazzadur denied it. “If anything happens to anyone, the individual can come to me. I will take action immediately”.

The Barishal-1 constituency comprises two upazilas -- Gournadi and Agailjhara.

If one visits the upazilas now, just two weeks before the national election, they may get an idea about the polls seeing thousands of posters in favour of Awami League and some of Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

A question may arise in their minds of whether BNP has fielded a candidate there. It's because they won't find any poster supporting the party's candidate except in very few areas in the southern part of Gournadi. They would not also find a party or electoral office in any of the upazila headquarters, let alone any visible campaigning.

The AL leaders said the development works done by current AL lawmaker Abul Hasanat Abdullah had left no scope for the BNP to come up with any issues before the election. On the other hand, BNP has nominated Zahir Uddin Swapan, who has not been in the area for many years, leaving him disconnected with both party activists and voters, they added.

But, BNP leaders allege they cannot carry out campaigning openly due to "rowdy activities" of the AL men and "inaction of police". "We cannot even move freely. How can we set up an electoral office?" Gazi Abu Bakar Siddique, joint convener of Gournadi upazila unit BNP, said.

In the last five general elections after restoration of democracy in early 90s, Hasanat was elected as lawmaker from Barishal-1 thrice. Another AL leader, Talukder Md Yunus, won in the 2008 election. Swapan was elected in this seat in 2001. Being a reformist leader, he did not get nomination in 2008.

Gournadi is considered as a stronghold of BNP, while minority-dominated Agailjhara is an AL stronghold.

The Daily Star correspondents on Saturday visited several areas of the constituency and talked with more than 25 people including leaders and activists of both parties.

While entering Gournadi upazila through the Dhaka-Barishal Highway, the correspondents saw a few posters of Swapan in Mahilara and Batajore areas.

"We saw some posters in our Ashokathi [next bus stop of Batajore] area after Swapan Saheb entered the constituency on Tuesday with a large number of people. Now we do not see him any longer and the posters have also disappeared," said an auto-rickshaw driver.

At Gournadi bus stand, around 25 leaders and activists were found at AL upazila office seeking votes through loudspeakers. No BNP office was seen there.

"The opposition leader [Swapan] has come to the area and held some programmes. But, he has failed to draw public attention and thus refrained from campaigning," Mizanur Rahman, a former central leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League, said at the office.

However, Abu Bakar alleged that they could not conduct campaigning due to pressures from the AL men, who have already attacked the houses of some BNP men in Mahilara.

He claimed they wanted to hold a meeting at Nalchira on Friday, but the AL men gathered there and forced them to call off their programme. They tried to hold the meeting again on Saturday, but the AL men held a counter programme there, he added.

"So, we did not hold our programme to avert a clash. Our leader [Swapan] talked with the OC, who did not take any action," the BNP leader said.

"We are now holding house meetings and giving necessary directives to our leaders and activists. The situation is not favourable for open campaigning now," he added.

Earlier on December 3, Swapan sent a letter to the Election Commission seeking security for his family and party activists under the Representation of the People Order (RPO).

He claimed he was afraid of attacks as Gournadi upazila unit AL General Secretary Harisur Rahman was delivering provocative speeches against him at rallies and meetings.

The BNP candidate on Friday told The Daily Star that at least 35 activists were injured in attacks and they were prevented from campaigning.

"Actually, they have kept me virtually confined to my house," Swapan claimed.

Swapan called a press conference today at 10:00am at his Shorikul residence in Gournadi upazila to discuss these issues.

Harisur denied the allegations straightaway.

Swapan, who was not seen in the area in last 10 years, was making false allegations finding no other issues to draw public support for, he claimed. "We don't need to prevent him. Development works [done by Hasanat] are enough to win public support."

On allegations of forcing BNP leaders to join AL ahead of the election, Harisur said, "No, they are willingly joining Awami League after seeing the development works."

Around 500 BNP men from Batajore union joined AL on Saturday, he informed.

On BNP's poor campaigning in Agailjhara, a local AL leader said the party was not organisationally strong in the upazila.

"Besides, an untold repression was carried out against the minority community in Agailjhara and Gournadi after the 2001 election when Swapan was elected. So, BNP has no moral ground to seek votes here," the leader told The Daily Star asking not to be named.

SM Afzal Hossain, general secretary of Agailjhara upazila BNP, who is now in Dhaka, said they would hang posters within a day or two.

Hinting at internal feud behind poor campaigning, he said either Abdus Sobhan or Akand Kuddus was supposed to get the nomination, but the party had chosen him (Swapan).

"We have to obey the party decision," he observed.