Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said on Thursday that second phase of polling in Kashmir was held “peacefully.”
“The polling in Kashmir was peaceful. There were some minorincidents of stone throwing,” Singh told Greater Kashmir. “
The Jammu and Kashmir Police chief said the security forceshad been directed to exercise maximum restraint and take extra precautions atthe time of their withdrawal from poll-bound areas.
“We don’t want people to face any inconvenience,” he added.
Singh said that people “came out to vote” and did not payany heed to “dictates of separatists and other inimical elements”.
“Central Kashmir witnessed around 21 percent polling and itis a clear indication that people didn’t pay heed to any dictates,” he said.”People reported to polling stations without fear and exercised theirfranchise.”
The DGP said he, along with senior officers of the policeand paramilitary forces, was camping in Srinagar and supervising thearrangements for central Kashmir.
Additional security forces will be moved to southern Kashmirareas gradually from Friday onwards for the third phase of elections. He saidthe security forces do not anticipate any major trouble in southern Kashmirduring the elections.
“People there are peace-loving and we are hopeful that theywill vote in large numbers,” he said, adding that adequate securityarrangements will be put in place.