At least four persons were killed on Sunday when security forces opened fire to disperse protestors in central Kashmir's Budgam district where byelection for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat is being held.
Two protestors died in firing at Dalwan village in the Charar-e-Sharif assembly segment of Budgam, and one each died in Beerwah and Wathura areas of the district.
The security forces opened fire after a mob attacked the polling station at Dalwan village and reportedly damaged the EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise.
"Security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," a police official said.
A mob torched a bus and also damaged the EVMs at a polling station in Beerwah as also elsewhere in Budgam district, the police official said.
The voting turnout was a poor five per cent till noon after polling started at 7.00 a.m in Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts that fall within the parliamentary constiuency.
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At least 261,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar-Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up.
Nine candidates, including National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, are in the fray.
The by-poll from the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency is being held because the seat fall vacant after the then sitting member Tariq Karra resigned during the unrest of 2016.
--IANS
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