Ishraque Hossain, the BNP-nominated candidate for the Dhaka-6 constituency, has formally requested the Election Commission (EC) to change a designated polling center following the recovery of weapons and alleged administrative negligence.
The candidate also lodged a serious complaint against the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sutrapur Police Station, accusing him of professional dereliction of duty and providing "indirect assistance" to criminal activities.
Discovery of Weapons Speaking to reporters on Sunday after filing the complaint at the Election Commission, Ishraque revealed that on the night of February 4, a raid was conducted at Cosmopolitan School and College in the Katherpul area of Sutrapur. During the operation, police recovered 152 heavy wooden sticks (stamps).
Ishraque claimed the building is owned by individuals affiliated with the rival political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He stated that local residents had repeatedly informed the police about the stockpiling of local weapons and sticks in that building prior to the raid.
Allegations Against Sutrapur OC The BNP candidate leveled grave charges against the local police leadership. He claimed that despite informing the Sutrapur OC on the evening of February 4, the officer allegedly tipped off the building owners instead of taking immediate action.
"The OC gave them a ‘window space’ to move the weapons. For nearly four hours after my call, two pickup vans were seen removing sacks full of sticks and weapons," Ishraque alleged.
He added that a secondary raid, conducted only after the arrival of the Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Kotwali and Army personnel, led to the recovery of the 152 sticks from a locked clubroom.
Security Concerns and Voter Discrepancies Questioning the feasibility of a fair vote at the site, Ishraque asked, "If a polling center remains in such a high-risk condition, how can a fair election be possible?" He cited this security threat as the primary reason for his application to shift the Cosmopolitan School center.
Ishraque also raised concerns regarding the voter list, noting that following a recent app update, certain holdings in the constituency showed up to 20 extra voters. He characterized these as "fake voters" created during the previous regime and promised to submit a detailed report to the EC.
While acknowledging that the overall law and order situation in Dhaka-6 had been stable, he described the Sutrapur incident as "unexpected and alarming," reiterating that the BNP remains committed to a peaceful election and wishes to avoid any form of violence.
