State Minister Palak's brother-in-law summoned by EC

Md Lutful Habib Rubel, a candidate for the post of chairman in Singra Upazila Parishad elections in Natore, has been summoned by the Election Commission (EC) in connection with the abduction and beating up of another UP chairman candidate, Delwar Hossain.

Rubel is the brother-in-law of Junaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for Information and Communication Technology ministry and a lawmaker from Natore-3 constituency.

This has been informed in a notice, signed by EC Deputy Secretary Md Atiyar Rahman, issued on Thursday (April 18).

According to the notice, Lutful Habib Rubel will have to appear before the commission to explain why his candidature should not be cancelled.

The Election Commission has already received reports from the local administration and intelligence agencies. National dailies have also elaborately reported the incident. These reports have proved the primary truth of the incident, the notice said.

The notice asked Rubel to appear in person at the Election Commission on the afternoon of April 22 with a written reply.

According to media reports, a group of people took the chairman candidate Delwar Hossain in a microbus from in front of Natore district election office last Monday afternoon. They dropped him in front of his house after a few hours. The police have already arrested two people in connection with the beating of that candidate.

Delwar Hossain's family blamed chairman aspirant Lutful Habib Rubel and his supporters for this incident, although Rubel has been denying the allegations of kidnapping and beating.

Later on Tuesday, the nomination papers of Delwar Hossain and Lutful Habib Rubel were validated. EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said that it has been decided to take legal action against those involved in the incident.

Mentionable, in the first phase of the upcoming upazila elections, the EC has finalized the date of polling on 8 May in 150 upazilas including Singra of Natore.