Bangladesh election: BNP leader Kochi dies at polling centre in Khulna
Kochi, 60, a former office secretary of BNP’s Khulna metropolitan unit, had reached the Alia Madrasa polling centre around 9 am when the incident occurred.
KATHMANDU: Mohiuzzaman Kochi, a local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), died on Thursday morning after an incident at a polling centre in Khulna.
Kochi, 60, a former office secretary of BNP’s Khulna metropolitan unit, had reached the Alia Madrasa polling centre around 9 am when the incident occurred.
According to BNP leaders, tensions had been brewing at the voting site since early morning.
The party alleged that activists of Jamaat-e-Islami were attempting to influence voters inside the centre, and Kochi had objected to the move.
BNP local leader Yusuf Harun Manju claimed that Kochi sustained a head injury after being pushed by Abdul Rahim, the principal of Alia Madrasa and a Jamaat activist, causing him to hit a tree.
Kochi was rushed to a nearby private medical college hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Rahim has not responded to the allegations.
However, Jamaat leaders denied any clash at the polling centre, stating that Kochi had collapsed due to illness. Speaking to Prothom Alo, BNP metropolitan spokesperson Mizanur Rahman said Kochi had been suffering from heart disease for a long time.
Police arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control.
BNP candidate from the Khulna-2 constituency, Janarul Islam, condemned the incident, calling it an attack on Kochi and demanding the immediate arrest of Madrasa principal Abdul Rahim.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the cause of death.
