2 killed in Punjab panchayat poll violence

Violence during panchayat elections in Punjab on Sunday led to the death of two persons.

The poll process was marked by incidents of booth capturing. Ballot boxes were burnt at a booth, and ballot papers were torn by miscreants who stormed inside a polling station.

In Ferozpur’s Lakhmir village, miscreants entered a polling station while voting was underway. They set the ballot box on fire. As panic gripped the site and people ran helter-skelter, the miscreants mowed down a 60-year old man, identified as Mohinder Singh, while on the run in a SUV. The polling was cancelled in this area.

Another person was killed when gun shots were fired in Ferozpur’s Kothi Rai village when miscreants attempted to capture the polling booth. In Ludhiana’s Detwal village, ballot papers were torn into pieces.

Elections were held on Sunday in 13,276 panchayats in Punjab. The Congress led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has a definite edge in the elections, however, results have not been declared yet.