Various shopkeepers in the Anantnag township of South Kashmir Tuesday alleged that they were forced to shut down their shops ahead of the sixth phase of the District development Council polls in the Kashmir valley that are scheduled for Wednesday.
In this sixth phase, polling will be held for Anantnag & Sagam DDC seats, Panch and Sarpanch vacancies (where ever necessary) in these blocks and ULB vacancies (where ever necessary) in Municipal Council Anantnag and Municipal Committee Kokernag on 16th of December, 2020, an official communique of the District Information office issued to The Kashmiriyat notified.
Shops, business establishments are shut in the township, while people are indoors and traffic is majorly off the roads in the town and the areas surrounding it.
“Two days ahead of the elections, the Forces came to us and asked us to shutdown our shops in view of the elections scheduled on 16 December,” a shopper from Lal Chowk area of township alleged.
Huge security deployment has been made around the town to prevent any law and order situation
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat the shopkeeper said that the Policemen went through the markets of the main township and asked the businessmen to keep their shops shut for two days (Tuesday and Wednesday).
Another shopkeeper from the township said that the elections are being held everywhere. “Why is it only in our town that People are being forced to remain inside their homes?” he asked.
“Every shopkeeper in the town was asked to shut their shops without being informed the exact reason,” he said.
The Kashmiriyat contacted the Deputy Inspector General of Jammu Kashmir Police for South Kashmir who said that mobile internet had been shut in the area. “I have received no complaints of shutdown anywhere,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag, KK Sidha denied the reports as baseless. “The reports are fake, I have more information about my district,” he said.