Ex-Bangladesh Election Commissioner Huda Detained Amid Allegations

Dhaka, Jun 23 (PTI) - Bangladesh’s former chief election commissioner K M Nurul Huda has been apprehended on allegations of election manipulation during his term in office, according to police reports.

Deputy Commissioner Mohidul Islam of the Dhaka metropolitan police confirmed on Sunday that Huda was detained in a case initiated by former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against the ex-election commission chief and 18 others, including the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Officials from the Election Commission noted that this marked a near unprecedented incident of a former Chief Election Commissioner being detained over election-related issues, as reported by the Daily Star newspaper.

Earlier that day, the 77-year-old Huda, who managed the elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024, was attacked by a crowd outside his residence in Uttara.

Uttara West police station's chief, Hafizur Rahman, stated, "We responded to the scene after receiving information" that Huda was surrounded by a mob. "We have taken him into our custody."

A police officer mentioned that the crowd invaded Huda’s residence in the Uttara area of Dhaka, forcibly removing him before police intervention.

Social media platforms have been circulating videos depicting a group of individuals striking Huda with shoes, decking him with footwear, and pelting him with eggs at close range.

The videos show the mob using harsh language and continuing their attack even after police arrived. Huda is set to spend the night at the police’s detective branch and will be presented in court for upcoming legal procedures, as indicated.

The BNP lodged a lawsuit against 19 individuals, including Huda, accusing them of orchestrating the 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections under Hasina’s administration "without the people's mandate." Hasina emerged victorious in all these elections.

The assault on Huda prompted widespread social media outcry and compelled Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s interim government to release a statement around midnight.

"The government's attention has been drawn to the unruly actions of the mob and the physical assault on the accused. The government urges the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands," the statement declared.

It also cautioned of appropriate actions against those involved.

Yunus assumed the position of head of the interim government following Hasina’s ousting during a large-scale student-led protest in August last year, after which she sought asylum in India following the collapse of her Awami League government.

Numerous senior Awami League leaders, ministers, and senior officials from the deposed regime were either arrested or went into exile after the government’s downfall.

Many of these officials, including ministers, have faced mob attacks over the past several months, particularly in court environments.

In February this year, Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence, located at 32 Dhanmandi in Dhaka and transformed into a memorial museum, was demolished by a mob using bulldozers.

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