National
Dhaka Witnesses Unprecedented Quietness Amid Tight Security on Election Day
As the 12th National Parliamentary Election unfolds in Bangladesh, Dhaka’s typically bustling streets are experiencing an unusual calm and emptiness. The voting process commenced at 8 am and is scheduled to continue until 4 pm, with heightened security measures in place.
Despite the Election Commission designating the day as a general holiday to facilitate voting, the number of public transport vehicles in Dhaka is notably lower than on a typical day. Residents are resorting to walking or using rickshaws to reach their nearest polling centers, and even the availability of rickshaws is falling short of the usual count.
Various areas in Dhaka, including Bhatara, Badda, Rampura, Banani, Mohakhali, Shantinagar, Karwan Bazar, Panthopath, Kalabagan, Science Laboratory intersection, Shahbagh, and Kakrail, reflect an absence of private vehicles on the roads.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Armed Forces, are visibly present, patrolling Dhaka roads to maintain order and ensure a peaceful election process. As of now, no significant incidents have been reported in the city.
While shopping malls, markets, and shops on the main roads remain shuttered, some grocery stores in residential areas have opened their doors to the public.
In a bid to ensure a fair and peaceful election, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed restrictions on vehicular movement, affecting taxis, pickup trucks, microbuses, and trucks within the Dhaka metropolitan area from midnight on January 6 until the end of January 7.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds at most places across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas may experience moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to their latest weather bulletin released on Thursday.
Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country.
The highest rainfall in the country over the past 24 hours was recorded in Kumarkhali, with 104mm of rain by 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The axis of the monsoon trough extends from India’s Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal to Assam, passing through Bangladesh, with one of its associated troughs stretching into the North Bay of Bengal.
The monsoon remains active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over the North Bay region.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted that the mild heat wave currently affecting parts of the country, including the capital, is expected to subside in most areas within the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
“A mild heat wave is sweeping across the divisions of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet, as well as the districts of Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia. It is likely to ease in most regions,” the department reported.
In addition, BMD predicted light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across most of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas are expected to experience moderate to very heavy rainfall.
Temperatures across the country may drop by 1-2 degrees Celsius during both day and night.
On Monday, Dinajpur in the Rangpur division recorded the country’s highest temperature at 38.6°C, while Bandarban in the Chattogram division saw the lowest temperature at 24.6°C early today.
Meanwhile, rainfall recorded in the past 24 hours, ending at 6 am today, reached 66 mm in Nikli of Dhaka Division.
The sunset in Dhaka is at 5:53 pm today, and sunrise is expected at 5:49 am tomorrow.
Two separate murder cases were filed today in connection with the deaths of a private service holder and a Madrasa student during the anti-discrimination student movement.
The first case was lodged by Ridwan Ahmed with Panchlaish police station, accusing former ministers Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, and 127 others for the death of his nephew Sujan, 14. Sujan, the son of Belal Hossain from Beramara village in Noakhali’s Sadar Thana, was a student at Al Jamirul Hayat Madrasa in the city’s Chandgaon area. He was fatally shot in the Muradpur area on July 18.
The second case was filed by Jamal Uddin at Doublemooring police station, accusing 225 individuals, including Dr. Hasan Mahmud and Education Minister Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, for the killing of his elder brother Alam, a private service holder, on August 5.
