Repoll ordered in 37 booths of Arunachal
Itanagar: Re-polling will be held on April 19 in 37 polling stations across Arunachal Pradesh where voting was suspended on April 9 due to damage of EVMs and other poll-related violence. Election office sources here on Wednesday said re-polling would be held from 6 AM till 2 PM. The districts where re-polling would be held are Kurung Kumey (12 booths in 3 Assembly constituencies), East Kameng (11 booths, 3 Assembly constituencies), Upper Subansiri (9 booths in 3 Assembly constituencies), West Siang (4 booths in one Assembly constituency) and East Siang (1 booth in one Assembly constituencies), the sources said. The state election authorities has decided to deploy adequate CRPF personnel in all the booths where re-polling would be held, the sources said. Meanwhile, the state unit of BJP has opposed the recommendation for re-polling at Sodrik polling station under Raga Assembly constituency in Upper Subansiri district. In a letter written to state Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday, the party claimed the order was unjustified as polling had been peaceful. The party alleged that the presiding officer of the booth have been forced to change his reporting by the returning officer under pressure from a few ministers. (PTI)
Villagers allege arson by Assam miscreants
Kohima: The Shemnyuching Village Council (SVC) has alleged that miscreants from Assam torched Jhum land belonging to Shemnyuching, Ngetjongching, Namha and Yonglok villages under Longleng district last Sunday. A press release issued today by SVC Chairman B. Chingau Phom said that as per eyewitness account two miscreants from Assam were seen fleeing towards Assam on a motorcycle after setting fire to an area measuring about 600 to 700 hectares. The area covered betel leaf farm, teak, agar and rubber plantations. He said the incident occurred when villagers were observing Sunday service in their respective localities. Chingau also pointed out that tension still prevailed in the border areas as the Assam police were preventing the Nagaland Election Officials from conducting polls in Ladoigarh under Tamlu assembly constituency of Longleng district. He said the latest torching of plantation areas indicated that these attacks were ‘well-planned’ by miscreants from Assam. The SVC has appealed to the state government to initiate immediate preventive measures. (UNI)
Minor raped by father’s friend in Kohima
Kohima: The Poumai Public Union Kohima (PPUK) and Poumai Women Organisation Kohima (PWOK) today vehemently condemned the rape of a minor girl aged around five, who was allegedly raped by a 30-year-old man on Sunday night at Mohonkhola area of Kohima town. In a joint press statement PPUK President C D John and PWOK Chairperson S P Rocinah, urged the law enforcing agency to book and punish the accused as per the law and appealed to the judicial authority not to grant him bail under any circumstances. The statement also appreciated the South Police Station authority for timely intervention and arresting the accused and appealed for befitting punishment of him. Further, it appealed to every right thinking citizen to condemn such ‘senseless and inhuman act committed by the culprit as there is no room for such a person, who has barbaric sense, in the Christian society.’ (UNI)