EVMs destroyed, 23 arrested in Vijayapura village

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Tension prevailed in the State’s Masabinal village in Vijayapura district as mobs toppled a car and destroyed EVMs after wrongly believing that election duty officers had stopped polling midway and were allegedly taking away the machines from the polling booths.

The mobs also manhandled an officer amid the ruckus, following which 23 of them were arrested. According to the Election Commission, the villagers destroyed two control and ballot units each and three VVPATs. “A sector officer was manhandled by the villagers and 23 villagers have been arrested,” the commission said.

Police officials, however, stated that the incident happened over rumours that election duty officials were changing the machines. Falling prey to the rumours, the villagers questioned the officials and resorted to vandalism, claiming the officials didn't give them a satisfactory response. The polling station come under the Basavana Bagewadi Assembly segment.

Though the incident shocked the district, polling went on uninterrupted. Meanwhile, a few untoward incidents were also reported of Congress and BJP workers facing off in a few polling booths across the state, leaving some voters injured.