A man was shot dead and two others were injured in a clash between the supporters of two councillor candidates during the Patiya municipality election in Chattogram on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Abdullah, brother of the councilor aspirant Mannan.
Mohamamd Tariqur Rahman, additional superintendent of Chattogram Police (Patiya Circle), said balloting in Patiya municipality election was going on peacefully since morning.
An altercation took place between the supporters of two councilor candidates at Dakkhin Gobindarkhil polling station under ward number 8 at noon, said Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Patiya Police Station.
At one stage, both groups exchanged fires, leaving three people injured.
Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
The injured were taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced Abdullah dead.
Police also took two councilor candidates—Mohamamd Mannan and Sarwar Kamal Rajib—into custody.
Besides, the family members of Abdul Khalek, councillor candidate of ward 1 of the municipality, said that he was abducted by some miscreants.
4th phase municipal polls
Balloting at 55 municipalities in the fourth phase election began on Sunday.
Voting started at 8 am and will continue until 4pm without any break.
Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used in 29 municipalities and traditional ballot papers in the remaining 26 municipalities in the 4th phase polls, said SM Asaduzzaman, the director (public relations) at the Election Commission Secretariat.
There are some 8.3 million voters under 793 polling stations in the 55 municipalities.
In the election, 55 mayors, 167 women councillors from the reserved seats, and 501 general councillors will be elected.
A total of 217 mayoral candidates, 618 women councillor contestants, and 2,070 general councillor contenders are in the race.
Of the 56 municipalities, polls to Natore and Kalkini of Madaripur were postponed at the orders of the court and the Election Commission respectively, while the candidates in all posts of Parshuram of Feni were elected unopposed.
But later two more municipalities – Sonaimuri of Noakhali and Trishal of Mymensingh—were in incorporated in the 4th phase election.
The election to 24 municipalities was held on December 28, 60 municipalities went to polls on January 16 and 62 municipalities on January 30.
The fifth phase election to 31 municipalities is scheduled to be held on February 28.
