SRINAGAR: Nobody from Shareefabad village, the native place of Burhan Wani, the poster boy of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, voted Monday. Just 15 voted from the native place of the Pulwama suicide bomber, who nearly brought India and Pakistan to a war.
There were more security personnel than voters on Monday in Shopian and Pulwama districts, which recorded the lowest turnout with just 2.81% votes polled. Over 25% stations did not record any polling at all.
The family of Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber Aadil Ahmad Dar, did not step out to vote at Gundibagh village, 35 kms from Shopian town. Neither did a single person in that village, as the third-phase voting for Anantnag constituency concluded today.
“How can we vote? It will be a betrayal of the sacrifice of my brother and others,” said Aadil’s brother and a graduate, Arif. “My parents and brother have never voted. We never vote,” he added. Aadil had rammed an explosive ridden vehicle into a CRPF bus at Lethpora on February 14, killing 40 jawans.
Arif’s brother Aadil had rammed an explosive ridden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama on February 14, killing 40 paramilitary personnel.
Also, zero polling was witnessed from the villages of other top militant commanders in south Kashmir, the hotbed of militancy in the valley, they said.
Also, zero voting was recorded from Noorabad, the village of Zakir Musa, the so-called chief of Ansar-Gazawat-ul-Hind terror group; Beighpora, the village of the incumbent Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo; and Sheikhpora, the village of Mudassir Khan, the mastermind of February 14 terror strike, said the officials.
Burhan Wani's killing in an encounter with security forces in 2016 had triggered massive unrest in the valley that left nearly 100 people dead and a thousand others, including security forces, injured.
The EC held a three-phase poll for Anantnag LS seat spread over four districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama.
Militants carried out two grenade and two petrol bomb attacks on polling booths in Shopian and Pulwama on Monday.
Pulwama and Shopian recorded the lowest turnout ever with just 2.81% of voters lining up. Officials said not a single vote was cast in over 200 out of 695 polling booths in the two districts.
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(With PTI inputs)