Jharkhand Assembly Election: One dead in police firing at polling booth

A villager was killed and two others were injured after police opened fire to control a mob pelting stones on security forces at a polling booth in Jharkhand’s Sisai assembly segment on Saturday.

Eight others, including the officer-in-charge of Sisai police station, two constables and a journalist, were also injured in the stone-pelting incident.

The incident took place at booth number 36 in Badhni village under Gumla district.

“Villagers tried to snatch arms from Rapid Protection Force (RPF) deployed at the polling booth. In order to control the mob, police had to open fire in which one person died and two others received bullet injuries on thigh and shoulder. They are reportedly out of danger and have been shifted to Ranchi hospital,” Jharkhand’s chief electoral officer Vinay Choubey said.

“Voting has been stopped at the said booth. There is all probability that a re-polling on this booth will be announced,” Choubey added.

According to police, supporters of two different political parties entered into a brawl at the booth. Police personnel deployed there interfered but they picked up a fight with the forces as well.

Villagers started snatching arms from police and pelted stones on them compelling the forces to launch a crackdown in self-defence, officials said.

The villager who died was identified as Gilani Ansari and those who received bullet injuries in the police firing as Asfaq Ansari and Khoofa Ansari.

Officer-in-charge of Sisai police station Vishnu Dev Choudhary, police constables Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul, police driver Sitaram Singh, journalist Sitaram Singh and three villagers were injured in the stone-pelting.

All the injured were rushed to Gumla Sadar Hospital for treatment.

Additional forces have been rushed to the spot. Gumla’s superintendent of police AK Jha and other senior officials of district administration were camping in the village.

Voting for the second phase of Jharkhand Assembly Election 2019 in 20 assembly constituencies began at 7am on Saturday.

In Sisai, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) candidate and assembly Speaker Dinesh Oraon is in a direct fight with JMM’s nominee Jigga Susaran Horo.