Second phase of municipal polls begin in J-K
Srinagar, Oct 10 : Polling began Wednesday for the second phase of the four-phased municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir to seal the fate of 1,029 candidates in fray across the state.
Voting began at 6 am on Wednesday morning amid stringent security arrangements, officials said.
They said the voting would take place at 544 polling stations across the state and would end at 4 pm.
The officials said 1,029 candidates - 881 in Jammu division and 148 in Kashmir division - are in the fray for 263 municipal wards, including 49 in Kashmir and 214 in Jammu.
A total of 65 candidates - 61 of them from Kashmir valley - have already won the polls uncontested, while in 56 wards all in the valley - no nomination was received, so no polling is taking place in those places, they said.
As many as 270 polling stations have been designated for voting in Kashmir Division and 274 in Jammu Division, they added.
The officials said the total electorate in these wards is 346,980 - 128,104 in Jammu Division belonging to 18 Municipal bodies and 218,876 in Kashmir Division of five Municipal bodies.
They said massive security arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.
The elections, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh, are being held in four phases. A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1,145 wards. The next phases will take place on October 13 and 16.
The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the CPI(M) have boycotted the polls to protest the the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court.
The government has declared holiday on the day of poll in the municipal areas concerned to enable voters cast their vote.
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UP: 60 booked over protest outside Agra's Jama Masjid after animal flesh found on premises
Agra, Apr 13 (PTI): Around 60 people have been booked over a protest staged outside the Jama Masjid here following the recovery of animal flesh from the mosque premises, police said on Saturday.
The protest took place after Friday prayers, with demonstrators demanding strict action against the man who placed the flesh in the mosque premises.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (City) Sonam Kumar said, "A case has been registered against the man who placed the piece of meat inside the mosque. Additionally, those who created disturbance outside the Jama Masjid have been booked. Around 60 people have been named in the FIR for their involvement in the protest."
The incident occurred late Thursday night when a man, Nazruddin, allegedly placed a packet containing animal flesh inside the Jama Masjid in the Mantola area. The matter came to light on Friday morning, triggering tension in the locality ahead of the weekly Friday prayers.
Police said CCTV footage showed the accused arriving at the mosque on a scooty and placing the packet inside the premises before leaving.
A team of more than 100 police personnel was deployed for investigation and area security. The recovered meat was seized and sent for forensic examination, they said.
The scooty used in the crime was traced to a local meat shop. Interrogation of the shopkeeper led to the arrest of Nazruddin, from Teela Nandram area, police added.
The accused was arrested on Friday and efforts and authorities are now probing whether he acted alone had accomplices, the DCP said.
Additional Police Commissioner Sanjeev Tyagi said that action would be taken under the National Security Act (NSA).
"We are looking into the intent behind the act and whether more people were involved," he added.
A group of people gathered outside the mosque, after Friday prayers, demanding capital punishment for the accused. The situation turned tense and police had to use mild force to disperse the crowd, he added.
Security was subsequently heightened in and around the Jama Masjid, with intensified police patrolling to prevent any further disturbance in the area.
Authorities have appealed to residents to maintain peace and refrain from spreading or acting on rumours.
