Bangladesh: over 14 polling stations set on fire before elections

• 14 polling stations, including one in Dhaka, were set on fire a day before the election.
• A commuter train allegedly set ablaze, causing four deaths.
• Police arrested Nabiullah Nabi and six other activists suspected of involvement.

Just a day before the country’s election, individuals set fire to at least 14 polling stations, including one on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka.

Someone allegedly set fire to a busy commuter train on Friday, resulting in the death of four passengers. The election boycott by most opposition parties coincides with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s bid for a fourth consecutive term.

Police have arrested a prominent opposition politician, Nabiullah Nabi, and six other party activists, suspecting their involvement in the train fire in central Dhaka. According to Samanta Lal Sen, a senior official at the Dhaka hospital, eight people have suffered critical injuries. Reports also mention a torched Buddhist temple in Chittagong and an attacked local party office of the ruling Awami League, as tensions escalate.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called for a nationwide two-day strike and urged voters to boycott the poll. The ruling Awami League accuses the BNP of attempting to disrupt the election through a “reign of terror on innocent people.”

On Friday, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, the UN Special Rapporteur, expressed deep disturbance at the repressive environment surrounding the polls.

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