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| Should police act against poll Boycotters ? | | | If peoples' response to the call for strike
given by Syed Ali Shah Geelani,who
heads a conglomerate of hardliners among the separatists in protest against arrest of several separatists and activists on charge of campaigning for peoples' support to their poll boycott call is any guide the Government and the Election Commission may have to face an embarrassing situation during the polling in Srinagar,Anantnag and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies. In fact after the separatists' call for poll boycott was ignored by voters in Jammu and Udhampur constituencies during the recent polling separatists have intensified their anti-poll campaign in the Kashmir valley so that they could claim that they represent the aspirations of people in the Kashmir valley.
Hitherto,the mood was upbeat in the Government and the Election Commission circles because of heavy polling in the Jammu and Udhampur constituencies. But the state Government seems to have become a bit worried over the growing possibilities of poor polling percentage in the valley's three Lok Sabha constituencies.The reason being peoples' response to Geelani's call for general strike against the arrest of some separatist leaders and their supporters.
Normal life in Kashmir valley was disrupted on Monday due to a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani against detention of separatist leaders and youth campaigning for a boycott of Lok Sabha election.Schools, colleges, shops and other business establishments remained closed in most parts of the valley while public transport remained off the roads due to the strike call.However, private vehicles could be seen plying on the roads in most parts of Srinagar city, the summer capital of the state.Officials said while life remained affected in other parts of the Valley also, some shops were open in the interior areas of some districts and towns. Geelani has called for a strike to protest against the detention of separatist leaders by police while they were campaigning for poll boycott in south Kashmir which is going to polls on April 24.
What seems to have gripped politicians and candidates in the poll fray in Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla constituencies in the call of Geelani to people to observe 'civil curfew' on polling days.If people have fully heeded his call for general strike against the detention of separatist leaders and their supporters on charge of campaigning in favour of poll boycott, they could respond to Geelani's call for observing civil curfew during the polling days in the three constituencies. In fact the police and other security agencies have been placed in an embarrassing situation. They had decided to detain all those who moved out and about for securing peoples' support for their call for poll boycott.The police authorities had come to believe that once over 100 separatists and their supporters were detained people may not respond to their call for boycotting polling.
Now this calculation has gone awry because if the police detain more separatists and their supporters it may prove counter productive motivating people to heed to the call for poll boycott. Well action against those campaigning in favour of poll boycott could have encouraged people, rather voters, to participate in polling but the reaction from Geelani against those arrests has seemingly turned the tables on the police plan. To act or not to act against poll boycott campaigners is a million dollar question before the police and the Government.Whatever option the two choose efforts are to be made to foil the plan of those trying to enforce poll boycott call. |
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