Riot police beat back hundreds of anti-poll protesters in Indian Kashmir on Sunday as the state voted in the second stage of elections under the guard of thousands of troops. The latest stage of the vote comes amid heightened tensions, with two anti-election protesters shot dead by police on Saturday in the town of Baramulla, 55 kilometers north of Srinagar. Militants and separatist politicians have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen India's hold over the region. However, the first round of voting last week saw more than 60 percent turnout. Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land row that triggered a revival of anti-India demonstrations that left 50 Muslims dead in ensuing security force action. Voters at a polling booth in Ganderbal town, 25 kilometers northeast of Srinagar, said they wanted an end to the violence. “Since July scores of Muslims have been mercilessly killed in firing incidents on peaceful demonstrations,” said Ghulam Qadir, 54. “We will elect people who will not be cruel,” he said. In neighbouring Kurhama village, riot police used batons to beat back hundreds of anti-election protesters who were chanting pro-freedom slogans. The protesters tried to stop people from entering a voting station, prompting police action. Small anti-poll protests were reported from other parts of Gandherbal, one of the two segments in Muslim-majority Kashmir valley where voting was under way on Sunday. Despite the protests, over 30 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballot in the two segments in the first six hours of voting, an election department statement said. In nearby Kangan township, more than 100 people could be seen queuing to cast their ballots under the guard of federal troops with machine guns. Militants have for the first time in 20 years pledged non-violent elections, unlike the previous polls in 2002 when 850 people were killed in violence. “I voted for peace and prosperity,” said housewife Saleema Begum, whose brother-in-law is one of the candidates. “Separatists and militants have only brought death and destruction to this peaceful land of ours,” she said after casting her vote. “These are sham elections. How can you hold free and fair polls amid a curfew and the presence of thousands of troops,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a moderate separatist and an influential cleric.
