Violence plague Inner Manipur election, urgent action sought under Representation of the People Act

The General Election from the 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency took a turbulent turn on April 19 as reports of violence and disruptions poured in from several polling stations. The Returning Officer for 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency in a message to the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur, detailed the circumstances under which the polling process was vitiated in multiple locations.

According to the report, several polling stations faced severe disturbances, rendering the polling results inconclusive. Moirangkampu Sajeb Upper Primary School (3/11), Khongman Zone (5/31), and Iroisemba Upper Primary School in its Eastern (10/1), Western (10/6), and Middle (10/7) wings were among the affected stations.

The chaos ensued due to mob violence, with reports indicating that security personnel were overpowered by unruly crowds, leading to the destruction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Control Units (CUs), Ballot Units (BUs), and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The situation spiraled out of control as law and order were breached, leaving the polling process in disarray.

Furthermore, at Khaidem Makha (18/22), the polling process was interrupted when a group of unidentified individuals forcefully cast approximately 61 votes, triggering widespread violence in the area. Despite timely intervention by security forces to safeguard the voting machines, the situation deteriorated rapidly, halting the polling process indefinitely.

In light of these alarming developments, the matter has been reported under sub-section (1) of section 58 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Election Commission of India has been urged to provide further directions in accordance with sub-section (2) of the aforementioned section.