A case of attempt to loot ballot paper has come to light in Ward 41, Indira Nagar, a posh area of Dehradun. There was uproar outside the polling booth after noise was made. Somehow the ballot box has been saved. In this case, a complaint has been lodged in Vasant Vihar police station by the Sector Magistrate, Congress candidate Payal Arora Bahl and independent candidate Reema. Vasant Vihar police station has currently registered a case against unknown persons. The Sector Magistrate has also handed over a video related to the looting of ballot box to the police, in which independent candidate Asha Bhati and her daughter are seen carrying the ballot box, although Dainik Jagran does not confirm this.
Voting was going on in the community hall
Like other wards, voting was going on in the community hall of Shastri Nagar Khala in Indira Nagar, Ward No. 41, for the Uttarakhand civic elections. The voting process continued normally throughout the day. Candidates of all parties including BJP and Congress were present there. There was a crowd of voters inside the polling booth even after 5 pm. Voting continued till late night.
Voting completed at 10 pm
When the voting was completed at around 10 pm, supporters of BJP-Congress and independent candidates gathered at the polling booth. After the completion of voting, the polling parties prepared to send the ballot boxes to the strong room and started taking the ballot boxes in vehicles. Meanwhile, supporters of some candidates reached there.
Supporters surrounded the polling parties
The supporters surrounded the polling parties and the situation became tense. Here, there was an altercation between the supporters of some political parties and the matter reached to pushing and shoving. Meanwhile, some people tried to loot the ballot box, the video of which also got circulated on the internet media.
Independent candidate and daughter seen carrying the ballot box in the video
In a video, independent candidate Asha Bhati and her daughter are seen carrying the ballot box. However, candidate Asha Bhati’s husband Omendra Bhati denied his involvement in the incident and said that this incident was completely motivated by the rivalry between BJP and Congress.
Complaint to the police
On the other hand, BJP’s metropolitan vice-president Rajendra Dhillon said that after the completion of the voting process, the ballot boxes were being sent to the strong room, when independent candidate Asha Bhati and her supporters tried to loot the ballot box. This was strongly opposed and a complaint was made to the police.
Action will be taken against those responsible
He also alleged that vehicles from Ghaziabad were roaming around the polling station throughout the day. The police administration has started an investigation considering this entire incident serious. SSP Ajay Singh said that strict action will be taken against the persons responsible for the dispute.
Evidence provided to police
Sector Magistrate of Ward 41 Anurag Bhandari said that when the election team was carrying the ballot box, some anti-social elements created obstruction and there was information about the ballot box being looted. A complaint has been given to the police in this matter. Evidence related to the incident has also been provided.
