Marred by violence, Bangladesh votes to re-elect PM Sheikh Hasina

New Delhi: A series of arson attacks shook Bangladesh just a day before the crucial parliamentary elections being held on Sunday.

As the election approached, the country was grappling with rising tensions and unsettling developments.

The nation was on edge as reports emerge of a Buddhist temple being set ablaze, goods trucks attacked on a national highway, and a commuter train allegedly ignited in flames on Friday.

The train arson claimed four lives, adding a grim dimension to the already tense atmosphere preceding the elections. Law enforcement authorities in Bangladesh announced the arrest of seven individuals on Saturday in connection with the incidents.

The train fire, which engulfed four coaches, is being labelled as a deliberate act aimed at intimidating the public ahead of the vote. While no specific individuals or groups have been named as suspects yet, this incident is not an isolated one, as violence during elections is common in Bangladesh.

Sunday's electoral showdown is set against the backdrop of an intensifying political divide led by two formidable women – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, currently under house arrest as an opposition leader.

The fire service reported a shocking surge in arson incidents on Saturday, tallying at least fourteen within a matter of hours, according to local media. 

Opposition parties, like the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted the elections, creating a challenging political landscape. 

The ruling Awami League accused the BNP of orchestrating a "reign of terror" to disrupt the electoral process.

Prominent BNP politician Nabiullah Nabi, along with six-party activists, has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the train arson. The blaze resulted in at least four deaths and eight critical injuries, according to officials at the Dhaka hospital.

The Kaikhon Buddhist temple in Ramu, Cox's Bazar, fell victim to an attack in the early hours of Saturday. The opposition's call for a nationwide strike and boycott of the polls intensifies the political standoff.

Expressing deep concern, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, criticized the "repressive" election environment in Bangladesh.

Voule urged authorities to end the crackdown on political activists and civil society actors, emphasizing the need to refrain from excessive force and violence.

Troops have been deployed across the country to assist under the supervision of magistrates, a standard practice in Bangladesh during general elections.

Nearly 1.6 million people, half of them security personnel, are overseeing the poll process. With 119.1 million registered voters and over 42,000 polling stations, the election is a massive undertaking. 

India and several other countries are observing the elections closely as the atmosphere remains charged with uncertainty and anxiety.