NCP candidate arrested for damaging EVM

An NCP leader was arrested for instigating a mob to damage an electronic voting machine (EVM) during the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) elections in Meghalaya Monday, a police official said Tuesday.

"We arrested Moina Sing Phyllut late yesterday (Monday) for instigating his supporters to attack and destroy the EVM at Umladang polling station when the voting process was going on," Herbert. G. Lyngdoh, the district police chief of West Jaintia Hills, said.

Phyllut is the Nationalist Congress Party candidate from Nartiang-Umladang constituency.

Lyngdoh said the incident occurred after the candidate lodged a complaint with the presiding officer alleging that his polling agent was intimidated.

Following the attack on the polling booth, a mob set ablaze the house of the polling agent, he added.

Phyllut's supporters then barged into the polling booth and destroyed an electronic voting machine (EVM).

Commissioner and Secretary in-charge District Council Affairs Jopthiaw Lyngdoh said re-poll in the Umladang polling booth will be held Wednesday.

Phyllut, who will be presented before a court here Tuesday afternoon, has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Representation of People Act.

Under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Meghalaya has three district councils - for the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills.