Violence in Assam’s Karimganj after EVM found in BJP candidate’s car

Karimganj, Apr 02 (PTI): Violence broke out in Karimganj district of Assam on Thursday night after a mob spotted a BJP candidate’s vehicle being used to transport a polled EVM to the strong room, forcing the police to fire in the air to bring the situation under control.
The incident snowballed into a huge controversy on Friday morning with the opposition Congress and AIUDF alleging that the EVM was being “stolen”, while the Election Commission suspended four poll officials and ordered a repoll at the booth as a video of the fiasco went viral on social media. Paul is also the BJP candidate from the Patharkandi seat this time, while Ratabari is currently represented by BJP MLA Bijoy Malakar, who is contesting the election as well.
The mob, mostly consisting of AIUDF and Congress supporters, claimed the EVM units were being transported in a BJP candidate’s vehicle with intention of tampering. The assembled crowd, which swelled to over 100 people within minutes, vandalised the vehicle and tried to manhandle the officials, upon which the polling party ran away, leaving behind the EVMs, eyewitnesses said. “The Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police reached the spot immediately and they tried to pacify the mob.
But the crowd did not listen, forcing the police to fire in the air to disperse them,” police sources said.
The DC and the SP then brought the EVMs to Patharkandi police station, from where it was taken to the strong room in Karimganj town, they added. Ratabari and Patharkandi constituencies went to the polls in the second phase on Thursday.
BJP candidate Paul rubbished the allegations of EVM tampering and said that his brother, who was in the vehicle when the incident happened, just gave a lift to the poll officials as their vehicle broke down. “My brother was returning from Patharkandi when some people waved at the vehicle for a lift around 9 pm. He gave them a lift as their vehicle broke down,” he told PTI.
“There was a huge traffic snarl on the highway as hundreds of poll vehicles were returning to Karimganj following the elections. Our vehicle, a Bolero, was stuck in the snarl near Karimganj town, and suddenly a politically- motivated mob arrived at the spot and created a ruckus. They thrashed my driver and vandalised the car,” he added.