Jammu: Five government employees on election duty were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Mendhar assembly constituency, which went to the polls Monday, for violating the model electoral code of conduct.

Deputy Commissioner of Poonch Mohammad Afzal Bhat said: "The election staff, including the presiding officer of a polling station, were arrested for staying overnight at the residence of a candidate contesting the assembly polls."

Besides presiding officer Indrajit Singh, three others were officials and another was a lower division employee.

He said the officials were posted at the Gursai polling station under Mendhar constituency and stayed at the house of Rafiq Hussain Khan, a candidate from the People's Democratic Party (PDP). This is not allowed under section 141 of the code of conduct applicable to officials on election duty.

Jammu and Kashmir went to polls Monday in the first phase of the seven-phase assembly elections in the state.

 

Source : IANS