Title: Arson at Polling Centers in Bangladesh Amid Election Violence

Police in Bangladesh announced today, Saturday, that "unknown individuals set fire to at least five primary schools, which contain four polling centers, on the eve of the general elections boycotted by the main opposition party." The police are investigating the fires that broke out in Gazipur, on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, but suspect that the perpetrators ignited the schools at midnight with the aim of disrupting the elections scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday. The Bangladesh National Party, the main opposition party, is boycotting the elections for the second time in three elections, describing them as a ploy by the Awami League party led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to legitimize a facade election that would grant her party a fourth consecutive term. The Bangladesh National Party has also urged citizens to refrain from voting and called for a two-day nationwide strike starting today, Saturday. Approximately 800,000 police, paramilitary forces, and police assistants will be guarding polling centers tomorrow, Sunday.