Tight security ahead of polling in Baramulla

 To ensure that poll parties and security forces aren’t attacked by protesters as it happened in Anantnag and Srinagar, Baramulla constituency authorities have made elaborate security arrangements.

The constituency goes to polls in the last phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7.

Sources told Deccan Herald over 30,000 police and para-military personnel have been deputed to ensure smooth polls. Besides this, they said, the Army is also sanitising the areas to prevent any militant strike.

“There will be heavy deployment of security forces in the trouble spots and sensitive places like old town Baramulla, militancy-infested Sopore town, stone pelting hub towns of Pattan, Palhallan and Hajin,” the sources said.

Reports said the police have cracked down on stone pelters in north Kashmir areas and arrested 200 of them in the past three days. However, their families termed the police charges baseless.

Official sources said 200 youth have been detained in the past three days and more arrests are in the offing.

A senior police official termed the arrested youth as “trouble makers” and “stone-throwers who have been taken into preventive custody to ensure peaceful polls.”

Returning Officer of Baramulla constituency, Farooq Lone said that on the basis of security there are 1091 hyper sensitive and 455 sensitive polling booths with only 70 normal. He said that 43 polling booths where either 75 per cent votes were polled in favour of one candidate or 90 per cent votes were polled in last elections have been declared critical and observers will keep a tight vigil on these booths for fair polls.

The constituency is spread over Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts.