KOZHIKODE: Widespread violence was reported in the politically sensitive Nadapuram region during the local body elections on Monday, leaving the area tense. The police resorted to using teargas and baton charge to disperse the angry party workers in separate incidents. Both police personal and party workers sustained minor injuries in addition to police vehicles getting damaged.
In three separate incidents, the police fired tear gas in Nadapuram police station limits. In the first incident, workers of IUML grappled with the police who tried to disperse the people who had gathered in front of a polling booth at Chiyyur. A gang of IUML workers threw stones at police vehicles and attacked policemen who were deployed to guard the polling station. Getting intimation, a police team led by Nadapuram SHO N Sunil Kumar reached the spot and fired teargas. The police registered a case against over 45 IUML workers in the incident.
Similar incidents were reported from Puramery and Kadamery under the Nadapuram station limits. Following the violence, a Covid patient had to return home without casting his vote at Puramery. In yet another incident, a clash erupted between workers of IUML and SDPI at Cheerothmukk near Kallachi. Initially, the police tried to disperse the party workers by resorting to baton charge which failed. The police then used teargas to disperse the crowd. Three police personnel including Nadapuram SHO Sunil Kumar sustained minor injuries while two police vehicles were damaged.
Meanwhile, a DYFI worker was attacked by IUML for allegedly trying to do bogus voting at the polling booth at Government UP School, Nadapuram. But, the LDF leadership denied the charge and alleged that IUML workers had attacked the youth with a deliberate plan to scuttle the election.
A verbal clash between workers of LDF and UDF erupted at Chelakkad near Nadapuram in the evening. However, the timely intervention of cops averted the further untoward incidents. A similar incident was also reported at Eramala near Vadakara. Polling was delayed for hours in many booths due to technical snags in the voting machines in rural areas.
2 UDF candidates attacked in Pullur-Periya
Kasaragod: Two UDF candidates were assaulted and widespread violence was reported in Kalliyot and surrounding areas of Pullur-Periya grama panchayat after the elections ended at 6pm on Monday. UDF candidates in Kumbala ward C Krishna-kumar and Periya Bazar ward C Sasidharan were assaulted allegedly by CPM workers, said Bekal and Ambalathara police. Krishnakumar was assaulted at GHSS, Ambalat-hara. When police reached there in a jeep, a huge mob of suspected LDF supporters threw stones at the police vehicle, said an officer.
Two civil police officers were injured and the jeep was damaged, he said. “We have registered a case against 100 unidentified persons. But the assaulters were LDF supporters,” he said. In Periya Bazar, around 50 party workers assembled there with weapons, said Bekal sub-inspector Ajith Kumar. They were drunk and did not know what to do, he said. Earlier, UDF candidate of Periya Bazar Sasidharan was assaulted, he said.