Chamarajanagar:  The voting process encountered a major disruption in Indiganatha village under Mahadeshwara Gram Panchayat limits in Hanur taluk on Friday. According to sources, the villagers staged a boycott of the polls, expressing their grievances by pelting stones and damaging Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at the polling booth. This resulted in injuries to both police personnel, officials on duty, and some villagers.

Prior to this incident, the villagers had been demanding basic amenities for their village and had even issued warnings about boycotting the polls. Despite attempts by officials to persuade them otherwise, the villagers followed through with their boycott, resulting in no visitors to the booth on Friday.

The village encompasses 528 voters from Indiganatha and Mendare village limits. In an effort to salvage the situation, officials tried to persuade a few tribals to cast their votes, managing to convince some to do so.

However, this attempt was met with opposition from the boycotting villagers, who accused officials of coercing the tribals to vote. Tensions escalated, leading to police resorting to lathi charge. In retaliation, the villagers stormed the polling booth, causing extensive damage to EVMs, equipment, and furniture.

As a result of the confrontation, police and several personnel sustained minor injuries, with Tahsildar Guruprasad also getting hurt. They were all promptly treated at the Primary Health Centre at Male Mahadeshwara Hills.

A witness recounted the chaos, stating that despite warnings from the boycotting villagers, a few individuals attempted to vote upon persuasion by officials. This led to a confrontation, with several injuries reported, and only a handful managed to cast their votes amidst the turmoil.