Dhaka: Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz on Sunday said there is no apparent reason for the Election Commission to shoulder responsibility of fighting between local groups in the Union Council elections.

‘If any two groups from two neighbouring homes, or two houses or two localities engage in fighting, I don’t see there is direct reason for the Election Commission to bear the responsibility for it,’ he told reporters replying to a question at his Election Commission Secretariat office.

He said it’s a bizarre remark that the Commission will be held responsible if anyone is killed in violence. ‘The EC does not arrange election anywhere standing there.’

The local body election is being held among the locals. There is question of prestige among them and their parties and their groups, he added.

‘It is not that someone has been killed for the first time. In our neighbouring country, there is instance of huge number of people being killed even in a single polling station of Panchayat election. In our country, there is also example that larger number of people was killed in the elections in the past,’ Shah Nawaz said.  

Noting that some people were killed and injured in normal situation not only during election in the country, he said it is normal that some people do excess, while some of them fall victim to it and police takes measure.  

He said huge violence occurred in only an area in the first phase. No big unusual incident occurred in other areas. The previous UC elections had experienced bigger violent incidents.  

The Commissioner, however, claimed that the EC has taken many tough measures against those involved in the polls irregularities in the first phase.

‘If anyone commits offense and resort to terrorist activities in this (2nd) phase, the same measures will be taken…The law enforcement agencies will be tougher in this phase. We’re taking equal measures for every phase,’ he said.

Shah Nawaz said some incidents of violence are occurring in the UC polls due to over-enthusiasm among some people.  

He said the EC has issued tough directives to the law enforcement agencies, including police, to ensure that none can do excess over polls-related affairs during the election. ‘If anyone does it, the law enforcement agencies have been asked to file cases and arrest them and take all legal actions.’

He also warned the police and vote-casting officials that the Commission will not tolerate any kind of negligence of duty. ‘We’ won’t move back to take action against anyone in case of any negligence of duty.’