Srinagar repolling to be held today amid tight security

The re-polling in 38 polling stations of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency will be held on Thursday amid tight security, officials have said.

Jammu and Kashmir chief electoral officer Shantmanu said about 50 companies of policemen and paramilitary personnel — each comprising 75-80 personnel — will be deployed to guard the stations against any law and order situation.

“There has been an amplification of the security deployment. In fact, there will be two-three layers of security deployment at each location,” Shantmanu said.

In Sunday’s Srinagar bypoll, 33 out of the 38 stations electronic voting machines were snatched and damaged, officials said while in the other five, zero polling was reported as voters could not reach booths because of violence.

The voter turnout in Srinagar constituency was 7.14% — the lowest in three decades — and eight civilians were killed in ensuing clashes between protesters and security forces.

The bypoll was necessitated after Tariq Hameed Karra, an MP of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), resigned in mid-September last year when a public unrest engulfed Kashmir over the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani.

Sanjay Kumar, deputy inspector general of the CRPF, Srinagar (south) said, “Security arrangements will be amply done for tomorrow (Thursday) and things should go peacefully.” “Obviously there will be an amplification of the deployment and since there are only 38 stations, we are trying to put a good number of personnel at each station,” Kumar added.

EIGHT CIVILIANS WERE KILLED DURING THE CLASHES IN SRINAGAR ON SUNDAY. AROUND 7% POLLING WAS REPORTED THAT DAY — THE LOWEST IN THREE DECADES