Miscreants stepped up attacks on polling staff and polling stations in Kashmir’s Budgam district, a day ahead of by polls to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.
Some miscreants tried to set ablaze a government school building, designated as a polling station, in Narbal area of Budgam district on Friday night, DGP S P Vaid said.
He said the building was saved by the timely action of police personnel deployed in the area. In a separate incident, a group of youth pelted stones at polling staff, who were on their way to a polling station, in Beerwah area of Budgam on Saturday morning, a police officer said.
The police swung into action and chased away the accused, the officer said, adding no one was hurt in the brief clashes. Meanwhile, a low intensity blast occurred on a government school premises, which has been designated as a polling station, in Khanyar of the state capital.
The blast took place due to mishandling of a tear gas canister by security forces personnel, a police spokesman said. Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, is scheduled to go to polls on Sunday.
The bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of then PDP leader and member Lok Sabha Tariq Hameed Karra last year to protest against the “atrocities” by security forces during the summer unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in July last year.
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