K.M. Sreekumar, a professor at the Kerala Agriculture University (KAU), has alleged in a Facebook post that he was intimidated by CPM MLA from Uduma in Kasargod district, K. Kunhiraman, while he was performing his duty as a presiding officer at a booth during the recent local body polls.
Interestingly, Sreekumar is the Peelikode unit president of the pro-CPM union of agriculture university teachers, TOKAI.
He said that he was posted as the presiding officer at a primary school in Alakkode gram panchayat in Kasargod district when the incident took place.
Sreekumar said in his post, “On December 13, we reached the booth and election was scheduled for December 14. The CPM booth agent came and told me that in the previous election, this booth had recorded 94 per cent polling and they are expecting the same this time also.” This was an indirect threat from a local CPM leader, he said.
The CPM workers were not even producing voter identity cards and were creating havoc inside the booth.
In between, the MLA from Uduma, Kunhiraman, reached the booth and was informed by the booth agent that the presiding officer was insisting for voter identity cards.
Sreekumar said, “MLA Kunhiraman came to me and said that both my legs will be chopped off if I tried to unnecessarily create problems for the CPM people.”
There were several youth surrounding the booth and the possibility of an attack was imminent, Sreekumar alleged. He further said that till evening when the voting was over, he was not even assured whether he would go unhurt from the polling booth.
“There were several voters who had come without any identity card and when I insisted on seeing the same, I was abused and threatened. I had to keep quiet as there were only two policemen on duty and the crowd outside was also violent,” he alleged.
Sreekumar has already reported the matter to the state Election Commission, and is waiting for a response from the concerned authorities.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)
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