PDP chief alleges detentions, EVM tampering in Anantnag polls; police refute claims

Bijbehara, May 25: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday alleged that ahead of polls, her party workers and polling agents were detained in police stations without any reason, while J&K Police rejected the allegations.
Talking to reporters during her sit-in protest in the middle of the road in Bijbehara, Anantnag, she claimed that complaints regarding the efforts to “tamper the EVMs” are being received across the various segments of Anantnag.
Mufti also claimed that outgoing calls on her mobile number have been suspended without any explanation.
“I am not able to make any calls since this morning. There is no explanation for this sudden suspension of services on the day of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency,” she said. The PDP also flagged the issue.
Later in a post on X, Mehbooba wrote, “Many of our PDP polling agents & workers are being detained just before voting. When the families went to the police stations, they are being told that it’s being done at the behest of SSP Anantnag & DIG South Kashmir. We have written to @ECISVEEP hoping for their timely intervention.”
PDP spokesperson said that Mehbooba Mufti’s cellular phone service has been abruptly snapped, adding, “Yesterday evening and in the early hours today, scores of PDP workers and polling agents were detained across the polling belt.”
Later, Mufti’s daughter and PDP leader Iltija Mufti alleged polling was being deliberately slowed down at a booth in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, a charge denied by the administration.
Reacting to the allegations of the PDP chief, the Jammu & Kashmir Police rejected the claims saying that detentions are very few and restricted only to those with a tainted past and based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day.
Earlier, the Election Commission had revised the date of polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency from May 07 to May 25 after it received representations to reschedule the date of polling due to various issues about “logistics, communication and natural barriers of connectivity.”
For nearly 45 minutes, there was chaos in Chinar town as many PDP and NC workers were having verbal fights outside the police station. Later, police cleared the highway and protestors were peacefully dispersed, after that Mehbooba and her daughter visited various other polling stations in Anantnag.