The Crime Desk: The Election Reform Commission has summoned 30 returning officers and assistant returning officers to inquire about the rigging in the three questionable elections of the 10th, 11th and 12th National Parliaments held under the previous government.
Divisional Commissioners and District Commissioners (DCs) serve as returning officers in the National Parliament elections. Assistant returning officers are Upazila Executive Officers (UNOs).
The meeting is scheduled to be held at the National Parliament Building at 10:30 am today, Monday.
On December 4, Election Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumder wrote to Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr. Mokhles Ur Rahman to arrange for the returning officers to attend the meeting. Accordingly, the Ministry of Public Administration has invited the expected officials of the commission to attend the meeting. Among them are several former secretaries and at least one current secretary.
Thirty officials, including two divisional commissioners, 13 DCs, 14 UNOs and one DDLG, who served as returning officers in the three national elections in question, have been invited.
At least four officials involved in organizing the meeting told the media that the Election Reform Commission will be asked to provide information on what kind of fraud occurred in the last three elections, who gave the instructions, and what the returning officers and assistant returning officers did to implement the instructions.
The Election Reform Commission will make recommendations on how to prevent them in future elections.
An official said, ‘At least 2,000 officials served as returning and assistant returning officers in the last three elections. It is not possible for the commission to take their opinions. Therefore, 30 officials have been selected from different parts of the country.’
Tenth National Parliament
A total of 12 people, including divisional commissioners, DCs and UNOs, have been called for the 10th National Parliament elections held in 2014 under the Awami League. Out of them, the only divisional commissioner is Mohammad Abdullah. He was the Returning Officer for six parliamentary constituencies in Chittagong Metropolitan City as the Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong. After that, he also served as the Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Three DCs who served as Returning Officers in the 10th National Parliament have been called. Among them are former DC of Kushtia Syed Belal Hossain and former DC of Pirojpur A, K, M, Shamimul Haque Siddique, who is currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
Among the eight Upazila Nirbahi Officers who served as Assistant Returning Officers in the 10th National Parliament elections are former UNO of Islampur (Jamalpur) Mohammad Nazrul Islam, UNO of Sarishabari (Jamalpur) Azizul Islam, UNO of Satkhira Sadar Md. Asaduzzaman, UNO of Baufal (Patuakhali) A. B. M Sadiqur Rahman, Tajumuddin (Bhola) UNO Muhammad Kamruzzaman, Teknaf (Cox’s Bazar) UNO Shah Mujahid Uddin and Patia (Chittagong) UNO Mosammat Rokeya Parveen.
Eleventh National Parliament
A total of 11 returning and assistant returning officers of the Eleventh National Parliament have been called. Among them is former Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka KM Ali Azam, who was the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, one of the most important posts in the administration.
He most recently served as a member of the Public Service Commission.
The returning officers include former Rangpur DC Enamul Habib, former Bogra DC Faiz Ahmed, former Satkhira DC SM Mostafa Kamal and former Feni DC Md. Wahiduzzaman.
On the other hand, the names of assistant returning officers include former UNO of Ranishankal (Thakurgaon) Mousumi Afrida, former DDLG of Rajshahi Parvez Raihan, former UNO of Monpura (Bhola) Bashir Ahmed, former UNO of Ghatail (Tangail) Dilruba Ahmed and former UNO of Savar (Dhaka) Sheikh Russell Hasan.
12th National Parliament
The least number of officers in charge in the last National Parliament election, that is, seven DCs and UNOs, have been called.
The returning officers include former DC of Nilphamari Pankaj Ghosh, former DC of Bogra Md. Saiful Islam, former DC of Sirajganj Mir Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, former DC of Kushtia Md. Ehtesham Reza and former DC of Barguna Moha. Rafiqul Islam.
The then Upazila Nirbahi Officers of Sylhet Sadar and Bagerhat Sadar have been asked to be present among the Assistant Returning Officers in the 12th National Parliament Election. The names of these two officers are not known.
