UP by-polls ended up with 49.3% turnout at 9 assembly seats on Wednesday. However, voters at several booths confronted police harassment and supression while casting their votes. In Muzaffarnagar’s Meerapur, Kanpur’s Seesamau, Manipuri’s Karhal and Muradabad’s Kundarki, political brawls stirred hefty turmoil and disrupted the electoral process, inciting scorching criticisms as in these areas Muslim voters were targeted to deprive from casting their votes.
Meerapur
In Meerapur assembly Muslims voters accused police of stopping them at the polling stations despite showing-up Aadhar cards, Voters’ ids and other mandatory documents. Muslim women voters complained that the administration assaulted them and demanded various certifications which were not required as per balloting rules.
A clash between two parties also broke out in Kakaroli village where the Samajwadi party accused police of mistreating Muslims, and lathi-charge on women at booth number 318. Leaders claimed that incidents have disrupted the transparency and regulations in more than 50 villages of Meerapur.
Meanwhile a violent video also made several rounds on social media in which police can be spotted targeting Muslim women at gunpoint. In this clip officials were traced frightening women voters with batons, guns and threatening them to “shoot” in order to stop them, meanwhile brave women were reminding police that they don’t have the right to shoot them.
Side by side, locals reported incidents of stone-pelting in several areas.
Seesamau
Kanpur’s Seesamau also witnessed similar incidents where voters were being stopped, threatened and harassed by the authorities and hoodlums. Muslim women voters’ reported facing filthy abuses and being forced to remove burqas while Muslim men were frightened of getting trapped in forged cases by the police department. In between SP candidate Naseem Solanki claimed that his polling agent was thrashed at Gandhi park booth.
The BJP raft protested at GIC ground of Seesamau where candidate Suresh Awasthi threatened the ACP. Throughout the day, the electoral process was heavily disturbed amid constraints, terrorizations and clashes.
Kundarki
Similarly, at Kundarki booth Muslim voters were intentionally targeted and were compelled to fuss with needless documentation. Voters said that the polling authorities and BJP leaders were trying to inquire about their voting choices near EVM machines. As per reports, the ECI suspended one head constable Vipin Sirohi and 8 policemen for disturbing the peace and procedure at booths.
While SP leader Mohmmed Rizawan blamed the police administration for unlawful polarizations in favor of the BJP candidate. Opposition leaders also said that BJP and allies were trying to harm their voter bank. They claimed that only people with a “particular paper” were permitted to cast votes. On the other hand, In Bhikanpur and Kulwada areas, police used barricades to mitigate and slow down the voting hustle.
Responding to the situation, AIMIM candidate Hafiz Mohammed said that “democracy has been assassinated in Kundarki.”
These suspicious margins and enforced pressures have caused serious tensions, resulting in demands of swift action against the appointed authorities, while SP has called out for “Repolling” to ensure accurate results.
Karhal
Karhal seat of Manipuri also received similar rings where Dimple Yadav pointed out towards “police autocracy” of controlling and splitting votes in favor of the BJP candidate.
Dimple Yadav accused that the Police had pressurized voters in Karhal area of Manipuri and ECI needs to acknowledge and sort-out the matter.
It’s also noteworthy that all such planned hubbubs targeted Muslim populated areas or Muslim voters which has raised serious questions on the demonstrated values of equal representation and use of political and administrative powers against minorities.
