The Hindu : Front Page : Unruly scenes in Madurai Corporation election

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 16, 2006
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Unruly scenes in Madurai Corporation election

Staff Reporter

Police criticised for not taking "prompt" action

BITTER EXPERIENCE: Raja S. Srinivasan, an AIADMK candidate, who was kidnapped and later released by anti-social elements, complaining to the police in Madurai on Sunday. — Photo: G. Moorthy

MADURAI: Terrified voters, injured party functionaries, bogus voting in full public view. These scenes were reportedly seemed to be a common sight in the Madurai Corporation election that witnessed violent incidents here on Sunday. The city police came in for criticism from some quarters for not taking "prompt" action.

Many roads in the city portrayed a deserted look with news of sporadic riots spreading after 2 p.m.

Both the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres accused each other of going on the rampage to cast bogus votes in a majority of booths.

While some voters claimed that their votes were already cast, a few others said they were forced to leave by an unruly mob. In one booth, ballot papers were snatched from voters who were about to exercise their franchise.

A housewife of K.K. Nagar, who went to the Maharishi Vidya Mandir School to cast her vote, said a gang came in three vehicles and cast at least 100 bogus votes. "They forced the videographer to leave and snatched ballot papers from the election official. Police personnel deployed at the booths were watching helplessly," she added.

Despite police presence, armed gangsters took away a ballot box at Muthupatti and abducted the AIADMK candidate, Raja S. Srinivasan, who protested. The candidate claimed that he was beaten up in the vehicle and thrown on the railway tracks on the city outskirts.Snatching of ballot papers at knife-point were also reported from many wards.

In the Rajaji Middle School at Meenambalpuram, a group barged into two booths and roughed up voters. When two police constables - Siva Elango and Veerappan - intervened, they were attacked. The duo suffered minor head injuries.

A senior police official said the show was managed with "little" manpower. "We had just one constable posted in each booth. It would have been easy for the police had the election been held in four phases. But there was no dereliction of duty on the part of police," he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page