Stone pelters damage property of voters in Kashmir’s Pulwama

Karimabad, where the incident was reported went to polls on Friday and according to reports houses and cars of voters were damaged

In an unprecedented move, suspected stone-pelters damaged the property of people who voted in the ongoing district development council (DDC) polls in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Reports said damage was caused to houses and cars of those who voted in favour of local candidate in Karimabad village of Pulwama, 28 kms from here. Karimabad went to polls in the third phase of DDC polls on Friday.

A local news gathering agency CNS reported that some of the people whose property was damaged were identified as Ghulam Nabi Zargar, Muhammad Abbas Pandit and Shahbaz Ahmed Pandit. Police while confirming the incident said some chronic stone-pelters of the village were involved in this incident.

Though stone pelters and militants used to disrupt the poll process in Kashmir in the past, it is for the time that the property of those who voted has been vandalised. On Friday, a DDC candidate was shot at and injured in Kokernag area of Anantnag district while he was campaigning.

Separatists, who usually used to call for boycott of elections, have not openly called for a poll boycott this time. They are under the scanner of the Centre on issues of terror funding and creating instability in the region and fear that any anti-election activity by them would land them in further trouble.