A scuffle broke out at the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday during a hearing on the redrawing of boundaries for Brahmanbaria-2 and Brahmanbaria-3 constituencies. The altercation occurred around 1:00 p.m. when BNP leader Barrister Rumin Farhana’s supporters clashed with NCP leaders and activists during the session.
Engineer Aminul Haque Chowdhury, a leader of the NCP, stated that they were not allowed to speak during the hearing and were attacked by Barrister Rumin Farhana’s supporters. “Our only crime was coming to the EC with our demands. We were beaten in front of the CEC, and other parties like Jamaat were also silenced,” he claimed.
Responding to the altercation, Barrister Rumin Farhana defended her actions, saying, “I was pushed first. I am a woman, and my supporters will not sit idle. A push will get a push in return. It is the very BNP, for which I have fought for 15 years, that pushed me today.”
Farhana emphasised that her group had submitted a legitimate request to reinstate the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency as it was in 2008, and they had raised their concerns based on justifiable grounds.
The hearing had started earlier at noon in the EC’s auditorium in Agargaon, with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Mohammad Nasim Uddin presiding over the session. Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, along with four other Election Commissioners, was also present.
The hearing, which was focused on the redrawing of boundaries for several constituencies in the Comilla region, specifically Brahmanbaria-2, Brahmanbaria-3, and Brahmanbaria-5, quickly escalated into an altercation between two opposing factions.
Police quickly intervened to control the situation.
The hearing is part of a series of discussions on boundary redrawing that began on Sunday and will continue until August 27. The Election Commission is addressing thousands of claims and objections regarding the new boundaries, with the aim of finalizing the gazette notification for the 300 constituencies.
Earlier, on July 30, the EC had published a draft for the redrawing of constituencies to ensure voter equality, which included adding a seat in Gazipur District and reducing one seat in Bagerhat. Following this, by the August 10 deadline, 1,760 objections had been filed concerning 83 constituencies.
The EC is expected to finalise the new constituency boundaries after resolving the objections, leading to the publication of the final gazette for the 300 constituencies.