The BNP-Jamaat cadres started setting fire to polling centres, installed mainly at different educational institutions, across the country as part of their attempts to foil the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) election slated for January 7.
They set fire to at least five polling centres in Rajshahi and Feni districts on Thursday night, just two days ahead of the JS polls to deter voters from exercising their franchise.
Miscreants set fire to four compartments of the Dhaka-bound Benapole Express in Dhaka’s Gopibagh area on Friday.
The law enforcers are investigating this incident of sabotage, arson, spreading panic among the public and terror before the polls like in 2014 centring the 11th JS polls.
Four of the affected polling centres are in three upazilas of Rajshahi and the remaining one is in Sonagazi upazila of Feni. In Feni, a fire was set with petrol and police said that petrol bombs were recovered from Rajshahi polling stations area.
A decade ago in 2014, the BNP-Jamaat alliance carried out widespread sabotage across the country to prevent the polls. Polling was suspended in about 140 centres due to violence in 147 constituencies on the voting day.
At that time, Election Commission officials said that polling was suspended due to fire, burning or looting of ballot papers in polling stations.
On Friday, miscreants set fire to a room at Charshaha Bhikari High School in Char Darbesh union of the upazila at around 7:00 am. Abdur Rahim Azad, the office assistant at the school, screamed after seeing the fire.
Polling station has been set up in that school for the election to be held on Sunday.
On information, a fire engine from Sonagazi Fire Station reached the spot and managed to bring the fire under control after an hour.
The school furniture and important documents were burnt in the fire. Police recovered plastic used for carrying flammable material as evidence from the spot.
Sonagazi Upazila Assistant Returning Officer, Upazila Executive Officer Kamrul Hasan, and the ASP visited the scene.
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sonagazi-Dagonbhuiyan Circle) Tasnim Hossain said “Police were investigating the incident to determine whether it was aimed at disrupting activities surrounding the 12th parliamentary election scheduled for January 7.”
Sonagazi Upazila Assistant Returning Officer Kamrul Hasan mentioned that investigations are ongoing to determine the cause behind the incident.
Mentionable that, a total of 4,354 men and women are set to exercise their franchise at Charshaha Bhikari High School centre in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Feni Superintendent of Police Md Zakir Hasan said that necessary legal measures have been taken to uncover the mystery.
On early Friday, four polling centres set up in schools were torched in three constituencies of Rajshahi.
Miscreants used petrol bombs to set the polling stations on fire. School furniture, including books and papers, were burnt in the fire. Two hand bombs were also found in front of a polling station.
The affected polling centres are Mohonpur High School in Mohonpur upazila for the Rajshahi-3 constituency, Akkelpur High School in Bagmara Upazila for the Rajshahi-4 constituency, and Jhina Primary School and Jotanshi Primary School in Bagha Upazila for the Rajshahi-6 constituency.
Rafiqul Islam, additional superintendent of police (Addl SP) Rajshahi district, said that various school materials and documents were damaged by the flames, and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
Jhina and Jotanshi centers of Bagha Upazila were set on fire with petrol. The school furniture was burnt. In addition to setting fire to two centres in Bagmara upazila, cocktails were also exploded.
Two unexploded fresh cocktails were found in front of Akkelpur High School in Bagmara. Police secured the area, and a bomb disposal squad neutralized the bombs, he said.
Arvind Sarkar, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bagmara Police Station, said miscreants targeted the Akkelpur High School polling centre in Ganeepur Union. They threw a petrol bomb into the office chamber, causing a fire. The flames spread inside, damaging books and papers.
As local people rushed to the spot upon hearing the explosion, the miscreants fled the scene, leaving behind two crude bombs at the school gate, said the police officer.
Residents immediately called the national emergency service number (999), prompting the police to rush to the scene. A bomb disposal squad successfully neutralized the bombs, he added.