Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Amid high-security voting in Anantnag, Mehbooba Mufti protests; alleges her phone suspended

Amid ongoing polling for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti held a protest on Saturday alleging that the police have detained her party's polling agents and workers without any reason. Mufti is in the electoral fray for Anantnag Rajouri's seat against National Conference (NC) candidate Mian Altaf Ahmad and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the Apni Party.

Mufti also alleged that complaints are being received from places where efforts are being made to tamper the machines (EVMs). She also claimed that outgoing calls of her number have been suspended since morning.

VIDEO | Jammu and Kashmir: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti staged a protest outside Bijbehara Police Station in Anantnag.

“Our PDP polling agents are being targeted and being arrested. We are asking the reason but they aren’t saying anything. If they are so afraid of me going to… pic.twitter.com/1A0TlHgqUd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 25, 2024

On Friday also, Mufti wrote a letter to the Election Commission claiming that PDP workers and polling agents had been wrongfully detained on the eve of the election.

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 its being done at the behest of SSP Anantnag & DIG South Kashmir. We’ve written to @ECISVEEP hoping for their timely… pic.twitter.com/iPQx8L7JLK

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 24, 2024

However, the Anantnag Police has claimed that detentions are very few and restricted to those who are tainted in the past.

Police also claimed that the detention has been done based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day. Mostly they are OGWs & are taken into preventive custody to ensure a safe & peaceful election.

pic.twitter.com/yS4g5k5JZQ

— Anantnag Police( اننت ناگ پولیس) (@AnantnagPolice) May 25, 2024

It is worth noting that this is the first general election in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the voting has already concluded on the seats of Jammu, Baramulla, Srinagar, and Udhampur.