Over 1200 activists jailed in Kashmir ahead of fourth phase of election SRINAGAR -- Authorities in Kashmir launched a crackdown on Hurriyat leaders and anti-election protesters ahead of the fourth and crucial phase of the state assembly elections which will begin here Sunday. A Jammu and Kashmir Police officer said more than 1200 people described as stone-pelters and trouble mongers detained from Shopian, Srinagar and Anantnag have been jailed to prevent any kind of violence on the polling day. The detainees include pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Geelani, JKNF chairman, Nayeem Khan, moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Hurriyat leaders along with dozens of their activists in Srinagar and elsewhere. These are preventive measures to ensure violence-free polling. We will releases them soon once the polling is over, the official, who didnt wish to be named, said. Amid fears of violence, a heavy deployment of paramilitary troopers and J&K Police personnel has been made in all the 18 constituencies which are going to polls tomorrow with random checking of cars and passengers being done to keep trouble at bay. Of the 18 seats, the ruling National Conference (NC) won nine in 2008 assembly elections while the J&Ks largest opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bagged six seats. Congress had won two seats while National Panthers Party clinched the Samba seat in Jammu region. A number of important political figures are in the polling fray in tomorrows election including the chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is contesting from Sonawar and former chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who will seek mandate from Bijbehara in Anantnag. Other prominent candidates include J&K Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul, Omars close confidante and National Conferences Kashmir province head, Nasir Aslam Wani, Congress ministers Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Ahmad Mir, and PDPs Abdul Rehman Veeri and Altaf Bukhari. Out of the 18 constituencies, the eight constituencies in Srinagar are crucial for the NC, PDP as well as the BJP which is eyeing the Habbakadal assembly segment that has a significant voter population comprising of the migrant Kashmiri Pandits. Indias prime minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders including its president Amit Shah, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bollywood actor and party MP Vinod Khanna campaigned for BJP candidates in the seats going to polls. Although the Srinagar city has traditionally stayed away from elections, PDP is hoping that people will come out to vote and defeat the low turnout strategy that has helped the National Conference in grabbing power in the city. With BJP in the fray, the PDP has urged people to vote for them in order to keep the Hindutva forces at bay. This tactic helped the party on the voting day in the restive Tral town on December 9 where PDP activists brought anguished voters to polling booths by spreading rumours that the BJP candidate, Avtar Singh, a local Sikh, was going to win if the Muslims didnt come out to vote. Violence has surged in the region ahead of the fourth phase of election in which 18 constituencies are going to polls, 16 of them in Kashmir region, with an overall 1.47 million voters registered with the Election Commission of India. On Saturday morning, the body of a sarpanch who was abducted last night by unknown gunmen in Sopore, was found near his home town. Unidentified men hurled grenade at Anantnag police station on Thursday, causing injuries to at least three J&K police personnel. With this, polling will end in Kashmir region while the final phase will be held in Jammu region on December 20. The results are expected to be out by December 23.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 14:21:45 +0000