Leaders of the seven-party alliance fighting for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status have accused the government of using the armed forces to rig the ongoing District Development Council elections in favour of a particular party.

The claim was made on a day police roughed up three journalists after they had interviewed a candidate who was allegedly not being allowed to vote.

Three journalists covering the fifth phase of the elections in south Kashmir on Thursday had to face the police’s wrath for interviewing a candidate, Nisar Ahmad Mir, who along with his supporters were allegedly not allowed to vote.

Fayaz Ahmad, a stringer with ETV Bharat, said he and two other colleagues, Mudasir Qadri of News18 and Junaid Ahmad of TV-9, were beaten up while covering the DDC elections at Srigufwara village in Anantnag.

The journalist said some people had approached them with the request of interviewing Mir, who along with two dozen voters had allegedly been stopped by the police from voting. Their claim could not be independently confirmed.

“After recording the byte of the candidate, the SSP came to the polling station and started beating us…. He told them (police) to book us under the charge of instigating people to hurl stones,” Ahmad told reporters.

Anantnag SSP Sandeep Choudhary did not respond to calls and a WhatsApp message from this newspaper asking about the allegations.

The journalists were detained for hours at Srigufwara police station and when Junaid’s health deteriorated, he was shifted to hospital. The journalists said their equipment was also seized.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “Everything & anything that involves stating the truth is being criminalised in J&K.”

Earlier, Mehbooba had alleged that the security forces had cordoned off Matribugh village in Shopian and were not allowing people to come out to vote “under the pretext of inputs about the presence of militants”.

“In a brazen display of power, armed forces are being used to rig this election & favour a particular party,” she said, apparently referring to the BJP.

People’s Conference leader Imran Ansari hinted that grenades were being used to deter voters, hours after five civilians were injured in a grenade attack in the Pattan area that went to polls on Thursday.

“Today’s grenade attack at Singpora Pattan raises many questions. Listening to SSP BARAMULLA’s news byte in which he says there is no militant presence in his jurisdiction. To me it seems a conspiracy so that voters don’t come out to vote in huge numbers. Impartial enquiry needed,” Ansari, whose party is part of the alliance, tweeted.