Uttar Pradesh: The Bahujan Samaj Party has accused the Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday, April 11, of using force to prevent Dalit voters from reaching the polling booths.

According to BSP National General Secretary S C Misra, they received information from various polling booths that BSP voters, especially the Dalits, were being blocked.

He alleged that the UP police were even using their batons to discourage the voters from going to the polls. Claiming that this was being done at the behest of the “higher ups”, he demanded that the EC intervene in the matter to ensure a free and fair election.

Ram Prasad and Rani Gautam from the Kairana constituency claimed that they were turned away from the polling booths even though their names were on the list. However, authorities say that they were sent back because they did not carry their voter IDs.

Kairana and seven other seats in western Uttar Pradesh went to polls today in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.