The committee formed to investigate irregularities at 125 voting centres among 145 in the cancelled Gaibandha-5 by-elections has found massive irregularities and identified the responsible persons behind the election anarchy. 

However, due to a lack of sufficient witnesses, the committee couldn’t able to find out the masterminds of the irregularities as they have played behind the scene.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal revealed the 10 decisions of the commission to the journalists at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon on Thursday.

The decisions have been taken based on the investigation report on Gaibandha-5 by-elections. Election Commissioners Brig. Gen. (Retd.) Md Ahsan Habib Khan, Md Alamgir, Md Anisur Rahman and EC secretary Md Jahangir Alam were present on the occasion.

The CEC said due to negligence in duties, actions would be taken against returning officer and EC regional election officer Saiful Islam. In addition to suspending a presiding officer for two months, an order would be sent to Home Ministry to take action against 125 presiding officers and five sub-inspectors.

Moreover, the EC would send a recommendation to the Ministry of Public Administration so that it takes action against an additional deputy commissioner and one executive magistrate.

The EC also took the decision not to employ 145 election agents in any kind of electoral procedure in future.

Kazi Habibul Awal said concerned ministry and departments were asked to inform the EC whether actions had been taken against the responsible persons within one month.

The review by the commission about the probe body report said that the EC stated that it has found out upon whose directions the officials were involved in irregularities. However, the officials didn’t reveal their identity so EC hasn’t been able to take any action.

As the investigative officers of EC haven’t sufficient right to apply strict ways like members of the law-enforcement agencies, they couldn’t identify the masterminds. Besides, it’s not also clear to the EC why the detectives weren’t informed earlier about the plans of the miscreants and also didn’t inform the returning officers and other authorities concerned.

In the review report, EC said – many people think these kinds of irregularities have become a culture in the country’s electoral system. When the officials have been shown the video footage of irregularities in one centre, they opined, “It's crime when we take it seriously, otherwise, it’s not.” This is a sign that in our country irregularities are taken normally.

The environment outside the voting centres was good. However, the environment inside the centres was just the opposite. There was no discipline inside the polling centres and the secret rooms for casting votes. The voters weren’t able to cast vote according to their choice, rather it was done by agents and illegal intruders. Nonetheless, the presiding officers didn’t admit why and under whose direction they had done it. Rather they said they did it intentionally.

The probe thinks the polling officials did it after getting commands from high-ups or under pressure. So, they preferred EC’s punitive actions instead of letting themselves into threatening conditions.

The EC ordered for cancellation of the Gaibdanda-5 by-elections halfway through after seeing some video footage recorded in CC cameras. The CEC then ordered to form of a probe body of three members headed by EC additional secretary Ashok Kumar to identify the people behind irregularities in the election.

It was the first incident of cancelling an election in any parliamentary seat in the country’s history.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on December 2, 2022 and has been rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque and edited by Golam Rosul.