India News | Violence Rocks Assam's Kokrajhar, Chirang as BTC Polls End

Kokrajhar (Assam), Dec 10 (PTI) A number of incidents of violence were reported from Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam after the polling for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) ended on Thursday, officials said.

Police had to fire 25-30 rounds in the air to disperse a huge mob, which damaged a vehicle carrying ballot boxes from the Malbhog polling booth of the Kachugaon constituency in Gossaigaon police station area in Kokrajhar, an official said.

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When the vehicle, carrying election materials and polling officials, broke down at Habrubil on NH-31C, a group of people surrounded it and started stone-pelting.

After a police team reached the spot from Gossaigaon, the group swelled into a huge crowd, forcing the police to fire several rounds in the air to disperse them, the official said.

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The election materials and the officials were brought to the strong room at Gossaigaon in a different vehicle.

Some miscreants also tried to attack the strong room set up at the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer, but police foiled the attempt and arrested a few people.

In another incident, a ballot box was damaged by a group of people when it was being brought from Srirampur High School polling booth to the Gossaigaon strong room.

An official said the Assam State Election Commission may consider re-polling in that particular booth.

At Tintila in Baukhungri constituency, supporters of Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) clashed after the polling ended, resulting in serious injury to one person.

The officer of polling station 57 at Chirang's Phulaguri was attacked after the completion of the voting. His vehicle was damaged in the incident, officials said.

Over 78 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Thursday for 19 seats in BTC's second and final phase of polling, which also witnessed police firing in the air to control a clash between BPF and UPPL supporters in the Chirang district while voting was underway.

The voting for the BTC began on December 7 with over 77.01 per cent of voters exercising their franchise in the first phase of polling for 21 seats in the Udalguri and Baksa districts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)