Nine Held As Sporadic Clashes Mark Assam Polls; Voting Remains Smooth

Guwahati: Nine people were held in connection with election-related violence at three places in Assam. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Akhilesh Kumar Singh, said that violence took place in Tamulpur and Sivasagar on Wednesday night, hours before polling began for the assembly elections at 7 am.

"We got reports of a clash between two groups at Tamulpur last night. Police reached the spot immediately and tried to control the crowd. When they did not listen, a few rounds were fired in the air to disperse the mob," he said, adding that four people were arrested from the site.

Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary said that a detailed enquiry will reveal the cause of the clash in Tamulpur. "The situation is normal now. We are monitoring it, and there is enough security presence to avoid any untoward incident," he said.

In another incident, two to three members of a political party were attacked in Sibsagar, the IG said. "We have detained three persons there. The investigation is going on," he said. Mr Akhil Gogoi, who is seeking re-election from the Sibsagar seat, alleged that BJP nominee Kushal Dowari was behind the incident.

A number of minor clashes have erupted at several polling stations in Sribhumi, Golaghat and Nagaon districts.

In Golaghat, police detained two individuals after an incident of poll-related violence was reported from Merapani Kalyanpur polling station. Identified as Savin Kurmi and Mukut Haloi, they were detained and later sent for medical treatment due to injuries sustained in the clash."Most of the clashes took place due to heavy rush, with people fighting over breaking the queue," an official said.

At some polling booths in places like Patharkandi, Merapani and Raha, supporters of ruling and opposition parties clashed, he said.

"However, police were already present in those areas, and the situations were handled instantly. The polling is going on uninterrupted," he added.

Meanwhile tension flared in Assam’s Khowang constituency in Dibrugarh district on Thursday after alleged poll-related violence broke out at Kutuha during ongoing voting, with supporters of the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and the BJP trading charges over the incident.

According to the BJP, a group of AJP supporters attacked party workers at a residence near the house of party MLA Chakradhar Gogoi.

Several people were reportedly injured, including Prahlad Pandey, a BJP functionary from Jharkhand. Condemning the incident, Mr Gogoi alleged a series of attacks by AJP workers in the constituency. “Since yesterday, goons associated with AJP chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi have been targeting BJP workers in the Khowang constituency. They attacked at Halodhibari yesterday, and today they vandalised my office and assaulted our workers. Even women staff was attacked, and their clothes were torn,” he said.