“ISKCON Devotee”, “Indian Agent”: Jamaat-e-Islami Cadres Surround Kurigram -3 DC Annapura Debnath, threatens her with severe consequences

When Law Is Branded as Treason

On January 3, a scene unfolded in Kurigram-3 that should alarm every defender of democracy and the rule of law. Jamaat-e-Islami cadres surrounded the office of the Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Annapurna Debnath with the sole intention of intimidating a constitutional authority into submission.

Their slogans were not about law or procedure. They were nakedly ideological and communal. Annapurna Debnath was branded an “ISKCON devotee” and an “Indian agent”, and was openly warned that she would not be allowed to perform her duties in Bangladesh.

Her “crime”?
She cancelled the election nomination papers of a Jamaat-supported candidate, Mahbubur Rahman Saleh, for failure to submit mandatory documents. 

This was not a protest against administrative error. It was a message of coercion. By invoking her alleged  religious affiliation and linking it to foreign loyalty, the mob crossed a critical line. This was not merely pressure on an election official but an attempt to communalise constitutional duty and redefine impartial governance as betrayal.