14-yr-old dies in Kashmir violence
There were also some incidents of EVM malfunction and an allegation by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti that the Border Security Force manhandled a voter who “refused to cast his vote for the BJP.”
Polling in Jammu and Baramulla Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir ended amid stray incidents of violence and the death of a 14-year old during clashes, soon after voting ended in the North Kashmir constituency.
There were also some incidents of EVM malfunction and an allegation by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti that the Border Security Force manhandled a voter who “refused to cast his vote for the BJP.”
A civilian was killed after security forces fired pellets on protesters at Mandigam village in Handwara area of Kupwara district. “A 14-15 year-old boy Owais Mir was brought dead to the hospital with pellet injuries in his chest, neck and face,” said Dr Rouf Ahmad, medical superintendent of Handwara hospital.
The Jammu constituency with 20, 00,485 voters, recorded a turnout of 72.19%, up from 70.6 in 2014. In the Valley, Baramulla, with 13,17,738 voters registered a turnout of 35%, down from the 39 recorded in 2014, according to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer, Shailendra Kumar.
Representatives of the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told poll officials that a voter was beaten up by a security man deployed in a polling station in Poonch district because he refused to vote for the BJP. The BJP and the PDP were in an alliance till June last year when the former withdrew support from the Mufti government. The state is now under President’s Rule.