Dhaka, Jan 28 (NationPress) As the election campaign progresses in Bangladesh, there is a concerning rise in violence, including threats and attacks aimed at candidates and law enforcement officials, raising alarm over the safety and integrity of the electoral process nationwide, according to local media reports on Wednesday.

Since the beginning of the election campaign, there have been reports of shooting incidents, stabbings, vandalism, and clashes across various constituencies, leading to numerous injuries and even fatalities.

Moreover, election-related infrastructure such as camps, microphones, offices, vehicles, and even CCTV cameras at polling stations have faced vandalism and theft in several areas.

In light of these escalating tensions, numerous candidates have filed General Diaries (GDs) with police, seeking protection due to receiving death threats and concerns over potential conspiracies against them, as reported by the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune.

Reports indicate that political violence during the election campaign has resulted in injuries to at least 24 individuals in clashes among political activists across five districts since Monday night, with many of these incidents involving members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami.

On Tuesday, during an event at Habibullah Bahar College in Dhaka, NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwari, a candidate from the 11-party electoral coalition in the Dhaka-8 constituency, was targeted with eggs thrown at him.

Both Patwari and NCP leader Nahid Islam have accused rival BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Tarique Rahman of orchestrating the egg-throwing incident, a claim that the BNP has rejected.

Earlier on January 24, a GD was reportedly filed at Shahbagh Police Station for the son and brother of slain Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi due to concerns over threats to their lives.

On the same day, Mohammad Hasan Molla, the general secretary of BNP's Hazratpur Union unit in Keraniganj, succumbed to injuries at Holy Family Hospital in Dhaka after being shot by unidentified assailants on January 22.

NCP convener and Dhaka-11 candidate Nahid Islam stated on Wednesday that the situation reflects a lack of tolerance from a political faction, asserting that while verbal disagreements are common during elections, physical attacks occur when some parties refuse to accept differing opinions.

He emphasized, "If this trend continues, the integrity of the election will be compromised. We call for an end to such violent tactics; otherwise, retaliation is inevitable," as reported by The Dhaka Tribune during his campaign in the capital.

Nahid further claimed that their office was shot at and that his campaign efforts are being obstructed in both direct and indirect ways.

Bangladesh is experiencing a surge in political violence as it approaches the February 12 election.

The parties that previously collaborated with the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to displace the democratically elected Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina are now caught in a fierce power struggle for the upcoming election.