BJP candidate dies of heart attack before casting vote in local polls in Ramban
Banihal/Jammu, Oct 10 : A BJP candidate died of heart attack Wednesday when he was about to cast his vote in the second phase of the municipal elections in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Azad Singh Raju, 62, a former employee of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, died at a local polling station before casting his vote, they said.
He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Raju was among 24 candidates in the fray for the seven municipal bodies of Ramban district.
The second phase of the polling is in progress at 263 municipal wards spread across Jammu and Kashmir, including 214 wards, in six districts of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu region.
The polling started at 6 am and will end at 4 pm.
During the first two hours of the polling, the officials said Kathua district is leading the voter turnout chart with 17.2 per cent of 54,622 electorates exercising their democratic right.
It is followed by Reasi district which recorded a voter turnout of 16.6 per cent (10204 voters) followed by Kishtwar (15.3 per cent of 8830 voters), Doda (12.6 per cent of 13396 voters), Ramban (12.4 per cent of 5533 voters) and Udhampur (10.3 per cent of 35519 voters) till 8 am, the officials said.
Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful polling which will seal the fate of 1,029 candidates.
A total of 544 polling stations, including 274 in Jammu and 270 in Kashmir, have been set up and are being guarded by police and paramilitary forces.
"The polling in Jammu region is going on smoothly and there was no untoward poll-related violence reported from anywhere," the officials said.
The first phase of the polling was held on October 8 after a gap of 13 years and registered a voter turnout of 56.6 per cent.
The third phase of the polling is scheduled for October 13 followed by fourth and final phase on October 16. The counting of votes will be held on October 20.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
