Intro: New Delhi reiterates support for free and fair polls amid reports of violence during voting
New Delhi
As voters across Bangladesh participated in the country’s 13th parliamentary elections, India on Thursday said it would wait for the final results before making any assessment of the political situation.
Addressing the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated that India would refrain from premature comments.
The elections are going on in Bangladesh. We should wait for the outcome of the elections to see what sort of mandate has come out, and thereafter, we will look at issues that are there. On the election per se, you know what our position has been. We stand for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh, Jaiswal said.
He also confirmed that India did not send election observers despite receiving an invitation from Dhaka. We did receive an invitation to send observers, but we have not sent our observers to Bangladesh to monitor the elections, he added while responding to media queries.
Meanwhile, reports from Bangladesh indicated incidents of violence at several polling booths during voting hours. According to local media, a political leader from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mohibuzzaman Kochi, died following clashes at a polling station in the Khulna district.
The leading Bengali daily Jugantor reported that tensions flared near the Alia Madrasa polling centre between supporters of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami soon after polling began early Thursday morning.
Former Khulna Sadar Thana BNP organising secretary Yusuf Harun Majnu alleged that Kochi was pushed during an altercation, resulting in a head injury after hitting a tree. He claimed the incident led to Kochi’s death.
Confirming that tensions had arisen at the polling centre, Khulna Sadar Police Station Sub Inspector Khan Faisal Rafi said police intervened promptly to separate the rival groups. Emergency Medical Officer Partha Roy at Khulna City Medical College Hospital reportedly confirmed that Kochi was brought dead.
The incidents highlight a volatile security situation during the polls, even as India maintains a cautious stance and reiterates its support for democratic processes in Bangladesh.