A candidate elected unopposed from ward number 8 of municipal committee Langate in northern Handwara area flexed his muscles on employees of the municipal committee and locked its office on Tuesday, leaving scores of observers shocked and surprised.
The candidate Muhammad Sadiq, according to witnesses, entered the office of municipal committee Langate this morning and started shouting at the employees for “not cleaning one of the filthy drains near his residence in his ward.”
In the fit of anger, Sadiq also locked the municipal committee office, they said.
“This is disgusting. The election process is still underway and this contestant has started misusing his power,” said Ghulam Rasool, a witness to the commotion at the Langate municipal committee office.
When contacted, Sadiq said the drain in his area had not been cleaned and “that’s why I locked the office.”
“I have this authority,” he claimed.
Abdul Hamid, executive officer of the municipal committee Langate said that he was attending an important meeting of district officials with the deputy commissioner Kupwara at the time of the incident.
“We later visited the concerned ward and found nothing wrong there. Even if some issue was there, the concerned person (Sadiq) had no right to lock the office, making scores of people suffer,” he said.