TURA, April 13: 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 kms from Tura, after a mob of several hundred people surrounded the police station in protest against a BJP worker who tried to influence voters and canvas 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,” informed SP MGR Kumar.
Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident on Monday night itself.
“A magisterial probe has been ordered which will be conducted within 15 days to ascertain the facts. 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,” informed DC Ram Singh.
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 one 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 BJP worker rushed to the Dalu police station to register a protest demanding the 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, the former Deputy chief Executive Member of the GHADC and sitting MDC of the Garo National Council party, 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.