TURA, April 12: The peaceful conduct of polling to the GHADC elections was punctured by violence in the border town of Dalu in West Garo Hills district, 51 km from Tura, after a mob of several hundred people surrounded the police station in protest against a BJP worker who tried to influence voters outside a polling station shortly after polls closed on Monday evening.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh and Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar had to rush to the frontier town with additional security reinforcements the same evening to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
“There was a tense situation due to public anger and the gherao of the police station earlier, but now the tension has eased. We have brought in reinforcements,” the SP informed.
The deputy commissioner has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident. “A magisterial probe has been ordered to ascertain the facts which will be conducted within 15 days. We have been able to disperse the crowds that surrounded the police station. Tomorrow there will be a separate meeting by the Dalu A’king Nokma with the protestors and the aggrieved persons,” Singh informed.
The unruly turn of events reportedly began from the Chaipani polling station of Dalu during the polling hours when a senior BJP functionary and Karyakarta, identified as Anoy Paul, with a few of his supporters who allegedly belonged to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh tried to influence voters by indirectly canvassing outside the polling station urging voters to cast their vote in favour of the saffron party.
Several voters waiting in a queue to cast their ballot began objecting to the BJP worker’s attempt to influence them and soon an argument broke out with supporters of other political parties joining the melee questioning his motives.
The altercation led to a scuffle in which the BJP worker was assaulted by some of the angry voters and supporters of other parties.
The injured worker rushed to Dalu police station to register a protest demanding arrest of those who assaulted him, but this led to a further escalation of tension as word quickly spread about his police complaint.
By late evening, hundreds of angry voters marched to the police station and surrounded it demanding that the accused be arrested for vitiating the peaceful atmosphere. The crowd was joined by supporters of other political parties, namely Congress, NPP, UDP and Independents who accused the BJP of attempting to usurp victory illegally.
With police teams away at various polling stations providing security the skeleton staff at the Dalu police station were up to their neck in trying to contain the situation as angry protesters bayed for the BJP worker’s head.
It was only after the arrival of reinforcements and top district officials that the situation eased, though there still remains simmering tension in some parts of the region.
This is the second instance of poll violence to hit the GHADC elections in less than 24 hours.
On the eve of polls, on Sunday evening, former deputy CEM and sitting MDC of the Garo National Council, Augustine R Marak, was given a sound thrashing by voters of Eamangre village when he went to the village with an alleged attempt to buy votes with cash.
Augustine had to seek shelter inside a polling station and police later rescued him from the clutches of the angry mob and took him to hospital.
Polling touches 70%, expected to rise further
The fate of several dozen candidates contesting the polls to the 29 MDC seats in the GHADC has been finally sealed in the ballot box on Monday evening.
The high turnout of almost 70 per cent, which is expected to rise further, has bolstered the election officials who have expressed joy with the high turnout despite threats of boycott and shutdown given by the GSU and other pressure groups opposed to the participation by non-tribal candidates and votes to the oldest autonomous institution in the Garo Hills.
Large voter turnouts across the 29 MDC constituencies during polling indicate a phenomenon rise in the voting percentage as hundreds of voters queued in line across the plain belt to exercise their franchise well after end of voting at 4 pm.
Interestingly, while the boycott call against non-tribal participation was raised by the protesting groups, yet, the percentage of voting was highest in their respective strongholds of Batabari, Shyamnagar, Balachandra and Zikzak in the plain belt region.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma cast his ballot at Walbakgre polling station of Tura during the first part of the day, while, Opposition leader Mukul Sangma cast his vote at Chengkompara polling station of Ampati along with his wife and Mahendraganj MLA Dikkanchi D Shira and daughter and Ampati legislator Miani D Shira.
West Garo Hills having 13 constituencies registered a high of almost 65 per cent polling at the time of closure but several stations were yet to relay their polling figure which is expected to raise the figure further.
On expected lines, Tura, once again registered one of the lowest turnout of 49.62 per cent but it was a far better turnout than the previous council election when the figure was under 40 per cent.
Another low turnout was in Raksamgre constituency which too registered just 48.13% polling.
Interestingly, the highest voting percentage was not in the minority dominated plain belt but in the rural border belt of Babelapara MDC constituency where sitting Gambegre MLA Saleng A Sangma of the NCP is contesting. Babelapara recorded 87 percentage polling.
In Rochonpara constituency where the sitting CEM of the NPP led EC Dipul Marak is contesting the poll percentage was as high as 72.70%, while in Williamnagar constituency where sitting Chairman of the GHADC and Williamnagar MDC, Denang T Sangma is contesting the percentage was 58.8% and expected to rise a little more.
The district wise break-up of polling percentage at the time of polls closure reveal South Garo Hills at 76.24, West Garo Hills with 64.51, South West Garo Hills at an all-time high of 85.71, East Garo Hills 62.2 and North Garo Hills 77.