Villages erase history of violence this time in Dausa

DAUSA: Long queues of voters, forces on the entrance gates of polling stations and most importantly peace witnessed at Gothara and Santha villages throughout the day while people in Dausa constituency voted. These villages have a history of violence , reports of rigging and booth capturing and re-polling in consecutive Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014, and everyone including district officers, police and nearby villagers were enquiring if peace prevailed at these villages.

The two villages and its booth worked as yardsticks to gauge if election went off peacefully.


TOI visited the village Gothara, almost 18 kms from here in which a man was killed in police firing while Kirori Lal Bainsla and Qamar Chechi Rabbani were in the fray for the seat as independent candidates. "Sab shanti su chal riyo hai bhai saab(Everything is going peacefully)," said Kajor Mal Meena, a native of the village who cast his vote at 11.30 am on Monday.

The village saw a good number of local police and units of Sashastra Seema Bal and the polling officers and policemen did not allow anyone to roam around after casting the votes.

"It was seen that even after people cast their votes commotion is witnessed and with rumors and attempts to enter into polling station forcily create problems. We have not allowed anyone to stay back after casting the votes," said a senior police officer on election duty.

Santha village, almost 32 kms from here had witnessed violent clashes between the personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) when a few vehicles were torched and cameras of mediapersons covering the event were damaged in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, the village was peaceful.

Only thing people were cribbing about the decision of polling officers not allowing anyone who was not coming with a valid ID. "Vote Hi Ko Daalba De Riya(They are not allowing to cast vote)," said Nanak Ram Meena an 80-year-old man who admitted that he forgot to carry his voter ID. The district election officer, Avichal Chaturvedi attributed the peaceful election to the hard work various polling parties, sector magistrates and police put in in past a few days.