Karnataka - Bangalore   

Stray incidents of violence reported

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Manjula was injured when police chased an angry crowd at a polling booth in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: While polling was largely peaceful in Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara districts on Saturday, stray incidents of violence were reported from some areas.

In the politically sensitive Hoksote constituency in Bangalore Rural district, the former Minister and Congress leader N. Chikke Gowda received minor injuries after a group of people, said to be supporters of the BJP candidate B.N. Bachche Gowda, stoned his car at Kolathur village. The Hoskote police in Bangalore Rural district have registered a case.

A few hours before voting began, a group of people alleged to be Congress supporters damaged the car of Sudhakar Reddy, a local BJP leader, at Gollahalli in Anekal constituency. They also smashed the windowpanes of his house. They alleged that he was distributing rice bags to woo voters.

In another incident, the police used batons to disperse a 500-strong group that tried to cast votes at a polling booth at Someshwaranagar in Chickpet constituency even though their names did not figure in the list of voters.

“I had cast my vote and was coming out of the polling station. I started running along with those who were being chased by the police. The police pushed me and hit me on my wrist,” said Manjula, a resident of Srirampura in Gandhinagar constituency. Her hand is now in a plaster cast.

The R.T. Nagar police on Saturday arrested 10 people and seized Rs 1.99 lakh cash and a car from them. They were not able to account for the cash, the police said.

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

Stories in this Section

Bangalore city witnesses a poor 44 per cent voter turnout
IIM-B’s offer
Making your displeasure with candidates known
Missing names continue to haunt poll process
Glitches in EVMs set right
Stray incidents of violence reported
Proxy voting upsets those whose votes were snatched
Age has not diminished her enthusiasm to vote
CLAT today
Bodies of accident victims handed over to family
Bus services to new airport
With no identity proof, many fail to vote
EC norms ensure discipline at booths
Shinde plays power politics
Bangalore today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu