Dhaka erupted in chaos during Thursday’s general elections as violence swept through multiple polling stations, claiming the life of a prominent Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader. The incidents underscore the fragile security landscape in the country, where law and order has been deteriorating for months.
Polling began at 7:30 AM amid heightened tensions, but peace quickly unraveled. In Khulna district’s Alia Madrasa polling station, BNP leader Mohibuzzaman Kochi met a tragic end. Eyewitnesses reported a heated clash between BNP supporters and those from Jamaat-e-Islami near the academic building. Former BNP organizing secretary Yusuf Harun Majnu recounted how the madrasa principal, allegedly campaigning for Jamaat, provoked the confrontation. When Kochi intervened, he was shoved, collided with a tree, and suffered a fatal head injury.
Police rushed to the scene, separating the warring factions, confirmed Sub-Inspector Khan Faisal Rafi, the center’s in-charge. Kochi was declared dead on arrival at Khulna City Medical College Hospital, as per emergency medical officer Parth Roy.
The violence didn’t stop there. In Gopalganj Sadar upazila, a cocktail bomb attack at Reshma International School polling station injured three: two Ansar members, one paramilitary auxiliary force personnel, and a child accompanying a voter. Duty officer Sub-Inspector Zaidul Islam described how assailants hurled bombs from across a nearby canal, shattering the morning calm.
Munshiganj also witnessed blasts followed by skirmishes. Jamaat-e-Islami accused authorities of targeting its leaders, workers, and supporters, preventing them from voting. Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, in a press conference, decried attacks across the nation and urged the administration and Election Commission to act impartially.
As Bangladesh heads to the polls in what critics call a one-sided affair dominated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, these outbreaks raise serious questions about the electoral process’s integrity. With opposition boycotts and pre-election arrests, the stage was set for unrest. Security forces remain on high alert, but the death toll and injuries signal a deeply polarized nation grappling with democratic backsliding.