Election Commission orders departmental action against primary teacher who joined election campaigning

The Election Commission (EC) has ordered departmental action against an assistant teacher of a government primary school over allegations that he took part in election campaigning for the BNP candidate in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election.

The accused teacher, Md Zulfikar Rahman, works at Arazi Dakshin Bathina Government Primary School in Ruhia upazila.

Thakurgaon Sadar upazila election officer Anwar Hossain confirmed the matter on Friday night. He said the EC's letter ordered departmental action against the teacher, and the authorities concerned would take the necessary steps.

The order came in a letter sent on Wednesday from the Election Conduct-2 branch of the EC Secretariat to the Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education. The letter asked for a departmental case to be filed immediately under the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018, disposed of quickly, and for the Commission to be informed of the action taken.

The EC letter said that in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election held on 29 October, Zulfikar Rahman spoke at various election programmes, including the inauguration of the BNP candidate's election office, in Senua union of Ruhia upazila.

Zulfikar Rahman published a mobile-phone video of his speech on his own Facebook ID. It was later published by an online news outlet.

The letter added that an inquiry by the Election Inquiry and Judicial Committee found the incident to be true. Under the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979 and election law, government employees cannot take part in political activities or campaign for any candidate. However, Zulfikar Rahman publicly joined campaigning for a political party's candidate and expressed support for him, the letter said.

In this by-election, BNP candidate Mirza Faisal Amin won by a margin of 131,336 votes. In the declared results, he received 227,789 votes with the sheaf of paddy symbol. His nearest rival was Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Delawar Hossain, nominated by the 11-party alliance.

After the electoral contest ended, Mirza Faisal Amin went with a bouquet of flowers to Delawar Hossain's home in Hajipara, Thakurgaon town, at around 12 noon on Friday and exchanged greetings.