A practicing advocate has moved the Supreme Court Wednesday claiming that during the bye-elections in the Rampur Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh, police authorities used every means to “prevent” voters in Muslim dominated areas from exercising their franchise (Sulaiman Mohd. Khan v Election Commission of India).
Amid allegations by Samajwadi Party of gross anomalies during polling in the three by-elections held in the state on Monday, Rampur Sadar Assembly seat recorded a sharp decline in voter turnout as compared to the Assembly elections held in March this year. By 5 pm, an hour before the scheduled end of voting, Rampur Sadar recorded only 31.94 per cent polling as compared to the 56.61 per cent polling in March. In Khatauli, 56.46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm. The turnout was 69.79 per cent in March.
Four days back Sabrangindia had reported how a spate of allegations of voters being prevented and even sustaining injuries.
The elections to Rampur, in a by-election, a populous constituency in Uttar Pradesh that has a significant population of Muslims were mired in controversy as social media users took to Twitter to allege a denial of voting rights through the (ab)use of force by the police. Some media outlets showed visuals of a woman in a video can also be seen showing another woman’s wounded hand allegedly as a result of police brutality. The woman can be heard saying that a wounded elderly woman had gone out to cast their vote, however, to her surprise, the authorities allegedly attacked the elderly woman with lathis and denied her the right to vote. The woman in this video can also be seen showing her voter ID and Aadhar card which are valid documents for one to cast their votes.
This video, which has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s by-election bound Rampur where the voters can be heard alleging that the police have denied them their right to vote and have also assaulted them in from trying to go to the election booth to vote.
#चुनाव_आयोग संज्ञान ले
लोगो को वोट नहीं डालने दिया जा रहा हैं
इसी तरह की खबरें और जगहों से भी आ रही है
रामपुर 37विधनसभा#RampurByElection @yadavakhilesh pic.twitter.com/cOHvHyp4nC— M S Alam Nadwi (@sahibealamnadwi) December 5, 2022
Voters in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh alleged that Police in the area has hijacked the polling booths. Voters has also alleged that its party workers were being thrown out of booths and were being prevented from voting.
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Voters say they were denied voting rights, allege police brutality: Rampur (UP) By polls