A probe committee formed by the Election Commission has found evidence of negligence on the part of polling and security officials in charge of three polling centres closed for irregularities during the Khulna City Corporation polls.
The committee of three headed by EC Joint Secretary Khondaker Mizanur Rahman recommended disciplinary action against the guilty, in a report submitted to the EC secretary on Thursday.
Voting was halted in three centres — Iqbal Nagar Girls High School, Lobonchora Government Primary School and the Ward Councillor Office centre — after several cases of irregularities were reported during the KCC polls on May 15.
The EC formed the committee to find out the irregularities and identify those responsible for it.
“Those responsible for irregularities in polling centres have been identified, and we have recommended action against them. Also, we recommended measures to prevent such incidents from happening in future,” said probe committee convener Mizanur Rahman.
However, he declined to give details on those identified and recommendations before the EC evaluates the report.
“We have taken written statements from everyone; the decision will be taken after the EC analyses the report,” he said.
Two other members in the committee are Deputy Secretary Md Farhad Hossain and Senior Assistant Secretary Md Shah Alam.
Awami League-backed candidate Talukdar Abdul Khalek became the mayor, defeating BNP candidate Nazrul Islam Manju by 66,000 votes in KCC polls.
At least 62.19 per cent of people voted in the election of the city corporation that is home to half a million voters.
Three centres among 286 saw abnormally high numbers of votes: 91.38 per cent, 97.60 per cent and 99.94 per cent. A single ballot was left to be stamped in one of the centres, bdnews24 reported.
At least 80 per cent of votes were cast in nine centres while it was 70 per cent in 45 centres.
