Nainital, Aug 14 (PTI) The Uttarakhand Congress on Thursday accused the BJP of kidnapping some of its zilla panchayat members to prevent them from casting their votes in the ongoing elections for the post of district panchayat presidents and block pramukhs, and also approached the high court to seek its intervention in the matter.
The Congress party members levelled serious allegations against the BJP and claimed that an attempt was made to kidnap six to seven of its zilla panchayat members who were going to vote.
This also led to a scuffle between the BJP workers and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly Yashpal Arya, former MLA Sanjeev Arya and Haldwani MLA Sumit Hridayesh.
It was alleged that this attack was carried out by people in civil dress, while the police remained a mute spectator. The entire incident has been broadcast live on Yashpal Arya's Facebook page.
Congress candidate Pushpa Negi claimed her husband was also attacked in the clash and the clothes of many Congress members were torn.
The DM, SSP and Kumaon IG appeared virtually before the Uttarakhand High Court in connection with the matter and were asked to send 10 Zilla Panchayat members who had approached the court under police protection to the polling centre to cast their votes.
Security has been stepped up in the area and pressure is mounting on the police administration to take impartial action.
LoP Arya, along with MLAs Sumit Hridayesh, Bhuvan Kapri, former legislator Sanjeev Arya and other senior Congress leaders, remained present on the ground, closely monitoring the situation.
The high court also summoned the DM and SSP and asked them to produce those members whose disappearance was alleged by the Congress by 4.30 pm.
Results are expected to be declared by late evening.
On the other hand, state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt, who was in Dehradun, accused the Congress of disrupting polling, which was being conducted peacefully in Nainital.
"Elections that were being conducted peacefully in Nainital were disrupted by Congress goondas. I strongly condemn the incident. I wonder what the leader of opposition and the local MLA were doing there," he said.
On a video in which Congress leaders were shown displaying the certificates of 15 of its zilla panchayat members, he asked how they had these certificates in their possession when they were supposed to be with the zilla panchayat members.