Attempted murder case to be filed against Mamunul over poll violence: Bobby Hajjaj
Bobby Hajjaj, state minister for education and lawmaker from Dhaka-13 constituency, has said cases, including one for attempted murder, will be filed against his rival candidate Mamunul Haque and his supporters over alleged attacks on BNP activists during the recent national polls.
“The rival candidate himself ordered to carry out attacks at the
polling centres. He must be the prime accused for the command responsibility for attempted murder of a leader Haider Ali, who is fighting for life,” he told reporters after visiting injured party activists at Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital in Dhaka today.
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Cases will be filed for attacks at other polling centres too, he said.
Denying the allegations, Mamunul Haque, ameer of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, said Bobby Hajjaj would have to take full responsibility if any untoward situation arises.
At the hospital, Bobby Hajjaj further said the family of Haider Ali will file an attempted murder case against Mamunul Haque, while other injured individuals will file separate cases with Adabar and Mohammadpur police stations.
Bobby Hajjaj alleged that supporters of Mamunul attempted to seize control of several polling centres on the election day. Some of the attacks were carried out during voting and some during vote counting, he alleged.
When BNP supporters resisted, they were allegedly attacked, leaving nearly a hundred BNP activists injured across multiple centres, he claimed.
Among the injured, Haider Ali remains in critical condition, Bobby Hajjaj said, adding that he has suffered a brain haemorrhage and is currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Replying to a query, Bobby Hajjaj claimed that Mamunul Haque was present at one of the centres and his party activists saw him ordering the attacks.
Talking to The Daily Star, Mamunul Haque said, “There is a saying in Bangla, they win by beating, and they win again by crying.’ They have defeated us by force, and now they want to win again by playing the victim.”
“On election day, there was no significant clash between the rival groups in our area. After I went to one polling centre, some of their people tried to attack me. The police intervened and stopped them. Later, the army arrived and dispersed supporters from both sides. That was the extent of the incident,” he said.
Apart from that, throughout the day, whenever there was any minor commotion or tension in different places, the law enforcement agencies -- police and army -- stepped in, and those who were injured were injured by the actions of the police and the army, he added.
“In the style of the fascist era, they snatched our victory after attacking us, stealing votes, and engineering the election. Now, they are filing cases against us to harass us -- creating a situation like adding fuel to the fire in a stable environment.”
“If any tension or untoward situation arises as a result of this, then Bobby Hajjaj must take full responsibility for it,” he said.
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