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Bombs, firing, arson reign supreme
VIOLENCE MARKED civic poll in Varanasi on Tuesday. Bombs, arson and gunshots reigned supreme with the administration watching helplessly. Elsewhere, polling was by and large peaceful with no report of any untoward incident reported from the major part of Eastern UP. According to reports about 50 percent voter turnout was registered in Varanasi.
Admn watches helplessly
Voter turnout 50 per cent
VIOLENCE MARKED civic poll in Varanasi on Tuesday. Bombs, arson and gunshots reigned supreme with the administration watching helplessly. Elsewhere, polling was by and large peaceful with no report of any untoward incident reported from the major part of Eastern UP.
According to reports about 50 percent voter turnout was registered in Varanasi.
The trouble started in the afternoon when gun shots were fired in the air at Pishach Mochan, allegedly by the supporters of BJP MLA Ajay Rai and Deenu Pal, ruling Samajwadi Party candidate for the post of corporator.
Soon after the incident, a heavy posse of police personnel led by district magistrate Rajeev Agarwal and SSP Aushtosh Pandey, reached the spot. BJP MLA Ajay Rai alleged that party workers were beaten up by Samajwadi Party activists led by Deenu Pal. They even fired in the air to cause scare among the voters.
After that every thing went normal up to 3 pm when suddenly Samajwadi Party activists reportedly directed BJP activists to vacate its polling outpost followed by crude bombs that were hurled on the road near Chetganj police station.
“This followed five other bombs which forced the people to run halter skelter for safety”, eyewitnesses said, adding, the supporters of the Samajwadi Party fired in the air from rooftops. In retaliation, supporters of Ajay Rai too opened fire.
About two persons were reported injured. However, the situation did not end here. Both sides demonstrated their strength and there was free for all in the city with activists from both parties resorting to unruly scenes under the nose of the administration.A motorcycle and the election outpost of a political party was torched by irate mob.
BJP MLA Ajay Rai and BJP MLC Kedar Nath Singh sat on a dharna outside Cheetganj police station raising slogans against the police and Samajwadi Party for brazen violation of model code of conduct.
Election employees allowed thousands of voters to cast their votes without asking them to show their identity proof like photo identity card, PAN card, driving licence etc. A majority of them cast their votes on the basis of small slips of names issued by volunteers of different candidates.
A woman block pramukh of Pindra, belonging to ruling Samajwadi Party, reached Pishanharia polling centre in Pandeypur and allegedly tried to influence the voters by joining the queue outside the booths in support of a SP candidate.
In protest BJP’s mayoral candidate Kaushlendra Singh sat on dharna. Later, the woman was expelled from the polling centre. “Except Varanasi, polling went off peacefully in the 10 districts which come under Varanasi zone”, IG Varanasi AC Sharma told Hindustan Times.
Surprisingly, the SSP and the DM were seen discussing Varanasi violence with some little known activists of the Samajwadi Party inside a vehicle as to what action should be initiated against whom.
