Goodbye democracy! Police prevent Muslims from voting in UP
Lucknow: Muslim voters have reported that police employed brute force to prevent them from voting in the third round of the ongoing seven-phase Indian parliamentary elections in the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Kashmir Media Service, Muslim voters have stated that police resorted to lathi-charge to deter them from voting in the third round of the ongoing seven-phase general elections in the Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency of the state. Several videos from the constituency depicting voters bearing the brunt of police action have gone viral. Muslims have alleged that their ID cards and voting receipts were also confiscated by police personnel, predominantly affiliated with the BJP-RSS.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) posted a video through its official handle on X, showing bruises and injuries suffered by some voters after being beaten up by the police. The footage also depicts some elderly voters collapsing unconscious due to police heavy-handedness.
“Voters are being assaulted and intimidated by police in all assembly constituencies, including Kundarki, Bilari, Chandausi, Sambhal, and Asmoli, which fall under the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat. The voting process is being disrupted by unnecessarily harassing voters through checks on voter slips. The Election Commission should take cognizance and ensure fair voting,” the party posted on X.
Another video from Sambhal shows a large number of voters emerging from a polling booth after being dispersed by the police.
A video shows some Muslim women stating that they were barred from casting their votes and were turned away from the polling booth. A scuffle also erupted between SP supporters and the police.
Commenting on the police actions, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “The behavior of the police and the administration is unacceptable. BJP will face consequences in this phase. Police are assaulting people in Sambhal, and we are receiving reports from Mainpuri that Samajwadi Party workers and leaders are being detained. Ministers, their associates, and family members are moving freely. Therefore, I urge people to come out and vote to safeguard democracy. I hope the Election Commission will take appropriate action.”
Sambhal is a constituency with a significant Muslim population. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has won the seat only once in 2014, has fielded Parmeshwar Lal Saini as its candidate. The Samajwadi Party has nominated Ziaur Rahman Barq, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has put its faith in former MLA Saulat Ali.
Barq, the sitting MLA from Kundarki assembly, is the grandson of veteran party leader Shafiqur Rahman Barq, who won the seat twice, in 2009 on a BSP ticket and in 2019 on an SP ticket. He passed away at the age of 93 a few months ago.
Another video from the Aonla constituency, posted by the party, depicts some Muslim women alleging that they were assaulted and prevented from casting their votes.
