As Srinagar went for polls on Wednesday the police said that the detention of over 500 youth in the city and its adjoining areas allowed a smooth conduct of polls across the Srinagar Lok Sabah constituency.Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad stated that youth detained by the police ahead of the Srinagar polls were known ‘stone pelters’ and possibly could have disrupted today’s polling in various areas. “We only detained the people who had a record of the stone pelting from the last three years and the reason for their detention was to ensure no disruption in law and order on the day of polling in Srinagar. We are satisfied that the polling took place in more conducive atmosphere as compared to the last one,” the state police chief told He added that after some stone pelting incidents in south Kashmir on April 24, police assessed the situation and found some ‘agencies’ were behind funding the stone throwing incidents. “People there were doing it mainly for the money. In Srinagar- police detained the professional stone pelters so that people could feel secure in casting their votes,” Prasad added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) central Kashmir Syed Afad-ul-Mujtaba told KNS over phone that the day passed off peacefully and that the major challenge for the police was to ensure no law and order problem during the day. He added that the ‘trouble mongers’ were detained by the police as to ensure their safety as well. “The people we took into preventive custody were the persons having a strong background of the stone throwing. We didn’t want anyone to instigate them on the Election Day. The situation could have turned ugly. It was for the safety of all.”The DIG central Kashmir maintained that police did its job well and the same reflects through the fact that the people were roaming around the Srinagar fearlessly and also the voters were not scared in walking towards the polling booths.