The incident that seemed to be straight out of a gangster film, supporters of a political party at Kolar walked around brandishing swords near a polling booth in Kolar, triggering tension in area.
The display of weapons (swords called “long” in local parlance), allegedly by Congress workers, created panic among voters in booth no 122 in the city.
However, police brought the situation under control and the election process continued without hiccups after a brief delay.
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Trouble started when a supporter of Congress candidate in Kolar Assembly constituency, Nazir Ahmad, was beaten allegedly by the followers of Independent candidate and the Minister for Textiles Varthur Prakash.
A group of Congress supporters rushed in a vehicle with weapons to the booth soon after, and started brandishing weapons in full view of police personnel posted there.
Soon a bigger police force was rushed to the spot and the situation brought under control. The police nabbed one person while the others fled. They also arrested Prasad Babu, a member of Kolar City Municipal Council, who later escaped from police custody while being taken to Gulpet station.
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Mr. Ahmad also rushed to the spot but was persuaded by the police to leave the place.
Amar Kumar Pande, Inspector-General of Police (Central Range), who rushed to the town after the incident, attributed the escape of Mr. Babu to the scarcity of the police personnel at the station due to election duty.