Bengaluru, Ap 27: Voting in Karnataka's 14 Lok Sabha seats on Friday was marred by an attack on a polling booth, overshadowing an otherwise largely peaceful electoral process, according to election officials.
In Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar, Idiginatha village saw a disturbing incident as a mob attacked a polling station, setting an Electronic Voting Machine ablaze. The Election Commission reported that villagers outside the booth were dissuading potential voters, prompting intervention from taluka officials around 1:30 p.m. who urged voters to cast their ballots.
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Elsewhere, in the nearby tribal settlement of Mandhare, despite the willingness of voters to participate, intimidation tactics from certain individuals in the village caused disruption. Officials, including the District Tribal Welfare Officer, Circle Inspector, and police, managed to bring approximately 20 voters to the booth. However, by 1:50 p.m., when nine voters had cast their votes along with polling personnel, a mob escalated tensions by pelting stones at officials and the booth.
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The situation deteriorated rapidly as the mob stormed the polling booth, causing destruction and setting equipment, including an EVM machine, on fire, effectively halting the polling process. This alarming incident occurred at a polling booth located in an isolated habitat accessible only through the forest of Male Mahadeshwara Hills Forest division.
