Seven shot dead after Upazila election in Rangamati

Unidentified gunmen in Rangamati have shot dead at least seven people, including polling officials and security personnel, after the end of phase-2 Upazila election voting boycotted by an organisation of Chittagong Hill Tracts people.

At least 11 others were injured when the gunmen carried out the attack in Noi Mile area on Baghaichhari-Dighinala road on Monday evening, police and officials at the Election Commission and the local administration said. 

They were ambushed on their way back to the Upazila headquarters from polling stations set up at government primary schools at Konglak, Machalong, and Baghihat under the remote union of Sajek. They were on three mini-trucks locally used to transport passengers and called “Chander Gari”.

The second vehicle of the convoy was hit when the attackers opened fire indiscriminately, Baghaichhari Police Station OC Manjurul Alam said, reports bdnews24.

The presiding officers of the three polling stations, polling officials, police, members of Ansar, and Village Defence Party or VDP were on the three cars being escorted by Border Guard Bangladesh or BGB.     

Six people died after the convoy rushed to the Baghaichhari Upazila Health Complex without stooping.

The Election Commission in a statement condemned the attack and said polling officials and Ansar members were among the six killed.

It pledged help for the families of the victims and asked the authorities to arrange treatment for the injured. 

Later in the night, Baghaichhari Upazila Nirbahee Officer or UNO Nadim Sarwar confirmed that one of the injured, a polling official, died while being taken to a hospital in Chattogram.

Chattogram Regional Election Officer Md Hasanuzzaman identified the deceased as teachers Amir Hossain and Abu Toyeb, who were working as polling officials, Ansar and VDP personnel Mihir Duttu, Al Amin, Bilkis Akter, and Jahanara Begum, and one Montu Chakma.

Montu was identified by police as a passer-by.

The 11 injured, including presiding officer and teacher Abdu Hannan, were later airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Chattogram, Hasanuzzaman said.

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said the commission heard about the incident and sent a helicopter to transport the injured.

He earlier claimed the second phase of Upazila council elections was "largely peaceful" and the turnout was "satisfactory" like the first phase. 

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar, however, said it was necessary to reform local government elections and their management to give the EC more power.

He proposed the reforms to ensure greater participation of all parties in the polls and boost voter turnout after the ongoing Upazila election lost its lustre due to a boycott by most of the parties, including the ruling Awami League’s main rival the BNP and its allies.

Sudarshan Chakma vs Santu Larma

Voting continued at Baghaichhari along with 115 Upazilas across Bangladesh from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Tension mounted in Baghachhari due to the boycott by four candidates of Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti or PCJSS led by Jyotirindro Bodhipriyo Larma, better known as Santu Larma.

In a statement, Baghaichhari Upazila chairman candidate Boro Rishi Chakma, and vice-chairman candidates Sumita Chakma, Samiran Chakma, and Amarshanti Chakma demanded postponement of voting and re-election alleging irregularities.   

They alleged supporters of Sudarshan Chakma, the chairman candidate of “a PCJSS faction backed by the ruling Awami League, stuffed ballot boxes with the help of security forces”.

The EC and the government will be responsible for any unwanted situation if the elections are not cancelled, they warned.

PCJSS (MN-Larma) faction candidate and former Baghaichhari Upazila chairman Sudarshan has blamed PCJSS (Santu Larma) for the attack. 

“Boro Rishi of Santu Larma’s JSS carried out the attack on people involved in government job after staging a boycott drama in the morning in realising defeat,” he said. 

Sudarshan further alleged United People’s Democratic Front or UPDF, another group of hill tracts people, was also involved in the attack.

Sudarshan, after breaking away from the PCJSS faction led by Santu Larma, had good relations with UPDF.  

PCJSS (Santu Larma) denied the allegation brought by Sudarshan.

Speaking to the media, Tridib Chakma, a leader of the PCJSS faction in Baghaichhari, argued that they could not have carried out the attack as they had no position in the area controlled by UPDF.

“And why would we do such a thing after boycotting the election and filing a written complaint at the EC? We believe in democratic politics and movement,” he added. 

Michael Chakma, a spokesman for UPDF led by Prosit Bikash Khisa, also refuted Sudarshan’s claim.

“Why would we carry out an attack for an election in which we had no candidate?” he asked.

The PCJSS, founded by late MN Larma, split and the breakaway faction formed UPDF two decades ago. The two groups have been fighting since then. A few years ago, PCJSS suffered another split when the PCJSS led by Santu Larma was formed.