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Voters seen in queue to cast their vote at a makeshift polling station on the outskirts of Yonglok village in Longleng district on Mar. 2.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Mar. 2: At the turn of every five years, the otherwise neglected land of Ladigarh in Longleng district enters the limelight. For years now, this disputed area along the Assam-Nagaland border has been forced to hog the limelight every time Nagaland goes to polls.
As was the case in the previous years, fresh poll was ordered at Ladigarh in 49th Tamlu assembly constituency in Longleng district after voting could not be conducted as scheduled on Feb. 27 due to obstruction from Assam police personnel.
In a repeat of the last elections, a makeshift polling station was constructed in the forest surrounding Yonglok village and voting was conducted on Mar. 2. At least, as per official report, the polling there was peaceful.
A day prior to the fresh polling at Ladigrah, pre-poll violence had erupted between supporters of a certain candidate and armed police personnel on the evening of Mar. 1 at Shetap village.
According to eyewitness accounts, confrontation took place between members of the public and the IRB personnel at Shetap village during which around 20 persons were reportedly injured.
The same source claimed that ‘after the confrontation, the IRB personnel broke into the houses and assaulted not only those involved in the altercation but also those who were innocent.’
However, the subdivision police officer (SDPO) of Longleng denied such aggression from the police. The police officer, though, admitted that there was a confrontation between the police and members of the public at Shetap village.
“The police personnel who were deployed for duty at Ladigarh were on their way on Thursday evening. Around 15-20 people were gathered at Yonglok village who agitated against the police personnel and challenged the authority. We waited for half an hour (6 pm to 7.30 pm) for them to disperse so that peace can be maintained in the area. However they were adamant and challenged the authority that resorted to disperse the gathering,” the SDPO said.