Silchar: Several injuries and extensive damage to election materials occurred during the first phase of panchayat voting in Assam on Friday. Political conflicts between rival organisations led to violent incidents throughout the Cachar and Sribhumi districts.
Polls at Choudhury Tilla in Sribhumi district became necessary to be cancelled after vindictive members broke into a voting station to damage materials and discarded the voting box into a pond. District Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Dwivedi stated that two rival factions fought before they seized the ballot box, which subsequently ended up in a nearby pond. The incident required swift action from his team, which led to summoning back the polling team while they made a formal request to the Election Commission to schedule new voting at the contested polling station.
Police Superintendent Partha Pratim Das declared that three different incidents of voting-related violence took place across the specified region. Police have captured two people in relation to these incidents. The investigation team continues its work to identify additional participants, according to the police official. Medical staff treated the wounded patients at Sribhumi Civil Hospital.
The political supporters in Cachar district’s Katigorah area engaged in major violent confrontations. At least five individuals sustained injuries in a conflict whose origin involved disagreements about voter accords, along with accusations of stealing voting booths.
The election authorities identified more instances of ballot tampering that involved perpetrators using ink and water to damage voting papers. The incidents have spurred concerns about panchayat poll security and conduct, thus, local authorities decided to increase police numbers in sensitive areas.
The Election Commission currently evaluates election polling decisions in involved regions and plans to announce its decisions before long.
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