17 killed in Bangladesh election day clashes

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In the just-ended Bangladeshi election, 17 people were killed as voting began following a campaign marred by deadly clashes with the police, police spokesman Sohel Rana said.

"Seven from the ruling party and five from the opposition alliance; More than 20 people were injured."

Previous news revealed that three men were shot by police while eight others died in clashes between activists from the ruling Awami League party led by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Police said they acted "in self-defense" as they were attacked by opposition activists armed with guns and sticks. An auxiliary police member was killed in the clashes, according to officials.

Speaking of the violence, BNP spokesman Rizvi Ahmed Sunday accused ruling party men of resorting to violence and widespread irregularities, including stuffing ballots overnight, driving out its polling agents and capturing polling stations across the country.

"Allegations are coming from across the country and those are under investigation," Bangladesh Election Commission spokesman S.M. Asaduzzaman announced in response to the accusation. "If we get any confirmation from our own channels then measures will be taken as per rules."

Bangladeshi voters wait in line outside a polling station while security police officials watch over in Dhaka, December 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

The voting, starting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, was held under tight security, with over 600,000 security personnel deployed at 40,000 polling states across the country.

Around 1,861 candidates are contesting for 299 out of the 300 directly-elected parliamentary constituencies. There are over 104 million registered voters in the country.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking a third-consecutive term with her Awami League-led Grand Alliance. A landslide win for Hasina's Awami League party is widely expected.

(Cover photo: Supporters of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and leader of the Awami League party walk through the streets shouting slogans in Dhaka, December 30, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency