News
Upsurge in violence: Polls chief takes extra security measures
View(s):The Elections Department for the first time will have its own monitors at next Saturday’s provincial elections and will enforce more security measures to ensure the polls are not disrupted, Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told the Sunday Times yesterday.
The elections are to be held to the provincial councils in the North Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa provinces where 3.3 million voters are due to vote.
He said the Elections Secretariat would appoint three monitors to each polling booth to ensure no malpractice takes place and if there was any disruption, they would alert the Additional Commissioner to decide on what action to be taken.
Mr. Deshapriya said a new sticker would be pasted inside every ballot box and another seal outside the box. The sticker and the seal would be different in different booths to counter any claims that ballot boxes were changed after the polls.He said senior officials would be sent to the Anuradhapura district as he feared most incidents could take place there.
The new security measures came amid reports of mounting violence, mostly in the Eastern Province.
In the latest incident supporters of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) clashed in Akkaraipattu on Friday afternoon and at least six vehicles were damaged.
An SLMC spokesman said the incident took place when General Secretary Hassan Ali and some candidates were going for a meeting. He claimed police who were deployed in the area had been withdrawn, enabling UPFA supporters to surround and assault the SLMC group.
The SLMC members later held a protest outside the Akkaraipattu police station, demanding that the attackers be arrested.
Among the other incidents was an attack on SLMC female supporters campaigning in Eravur. Seven women were injured and hospitalised.
A UPFA local council member contesting the elections was attacked in Kataankudy by another political group.
A Tamil National Alliance supporter’s shop at Chenkaladi in Batticaloa was set on fire by suspected supporters of the UPFA yesterday morning.
More than 290 incidents of violence and election-related offences had been reported to the Commissioner of Elections by Friday.
Follow @timesonlinelk
Related Posts:
SLMC sticks with UPFA, major storm in partyThe Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has decided to contest the upcoming provincial council elections with the United People’s Freedom ...
Polls Chief sends top team to probe presence of armed gangs in EastSenior Elections Department officials are to be dispatched to the Eastern Province to probe allegations about the operation of armed ...
Polls dept. upstages UPFA CM candidateOfficials of the Elections Department yesterday sealed three stores in Anuradhapura from where UPFA Chief Ministerial candidate Berty Premalal Dissanayake ...
Polls campaign: Blatant abuse of state resourcesAs the election campaign in the North Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa provinces reaches its peak ahead of next Saturday's elections ...
Violations all along the campaign trailWith just five weeks to go for the North Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections, party campaigning is hotting ...