Bihar panchayat polls: Supporters of defeated candidate create ruckus in Supaul

The police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the supporters of Dinapatti constituency's candidate Asha Devi as they were seen pelting stones near the collectorate.

Bihar's Supaul district witnessed violence after supporters of a defeated candidate created a ruckus near the collectorate on Tuesday after receiving false information about their candidate winning in the ongoing panchayat elections in the state.

After the incident, the area around the collectorate was under tight security for two hours. (Sourced)

The police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the supporters of Dinapatti constituency's candidate Asha Devi as they were seen pelting stones at the premises.

According to a report by ABP, after the counting of votes on November 13, a message shared on the WhatsApp group of the district administration showed the names of Asha Devi and Aditi Riswati, candidates from the Dinapatti constituency, securing 2,464 votes. While Dulari Devi, another candidate, secured 1,695 votes and came second.

However, according to the Election Commission's website, Aditi Riswati was declared the winner, the ABP report said. And some newspapers printed wrong information about Asha Devi winning the Dinapatti constituency and this is the reason her supporters created ruckus at the collectorate in Supaul, the ABP report added.

Before the stone-pelting happened, supporters of Devi arrived at the collectorate in Supaul to meet the district magistrate (DM) Mahendra Kumar. However, Kumar along with other officials was busy in a video call with chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Moments later, the district magistrate's convoy left the collectorate, according to a report by Hindustan Times' sister publication Live Hindustan. This angered the supporters of Asha Devi as they started demanding a certificate of victory for their candidate and further pelted stones near the collectorate, the Live Hindustan report added.

Apart from the lathicharge, police also fired rubber bullets in the air to disperse Devi's supporters. As many as 18 people have been arrested. After the incident, the area around the collectorate was under tight security for two hours.