Jharkhand Assembly Polls 2019: 1 dead, 2 injured after police opened fire to control mob at polling booth

A villager was killed and two others were injured after police opened fire to restraint a mob pelting stones on security forces at a polling station in Jharkhand’s Sisai on Saturday.

Eight others, including the officer-in-charge of Sisai police station, two constables and a journalist, were also injured in the stone pelting incident.

The incident happened at booth number 36 in Badhni village.

“Villagers tried to snatch arms from Rapid Protection Force (RPF) deployed at the polling booth. In order to control the mob, police had to open fire in which one person died and two others received bullet injuries on thigh and shoulder. They are reportedly out of danger and have been shifted to Ranchi hospital,” Jharkhand’s chief electoral officer Vinay Choubey said.

“Voting has been stopped at the said booth. There is all probability that a re-polling on this booth will be announced,” Choubey added.

As per the police, supporters of two political parties got into a scuffle at the polling station. Police personnel deployed their tried to stop the fight but they picked up a fight with the forces as well.

“Villagers started snatching arms from police and pelted stones on them compelling the forces to launch a crackdown in self-defence,” officials said.

The person dead was later identified as Gilani Ansari and those injured in the firing as Asfaq Ansari and Khoofa Ansari.

Officer in-charge of Sisai police station Vishnu Dev Choudhary, constables Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul, driver Sitaram Singh, journalist Sitaram Singh and three others were injured during the stone pelting.

All the injured have been taken to Gumla Sadar Hospital for medical care.

Additional forces have been deployed in the spot. Gumla’s superintendent of police AK Jha and other senior officers of district administration were camping in the village.

Voting for the second phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls 2019 began at 7 am this morning.