Poll official, IRBn jawan die of heart attack during Arunachal elections

Itanagar: A polling official and a constable of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) died due to cardiac arrest during simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh on April 19, a top poll official said.

Three others have been admitted to hospitals after suffering heart attack, he said.

Polling officer Changdam Yangchang, deployed at Balupothar polling station in Bordumsa in Changlang district, died while being taken to a hospital after suffering a heart attack during polling, chief electoral officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain told media persons here on Saturday.

Passang Dondup, a constable in the fourth IRBn, died at Tamen in Kamle district while on naka duty, he said. Three other polling personnel also suffered cardiac arrest and have been hospitalised.

S K Paul, a presiding officer deployed in Upper Siang district, suffered a heart attack during polling and was admitted to a hospital in Dibrugarh in Assam, the CEO said, adding that his condition is stable.

"Dinesh Kumar Panda, a central police force personnel from Odisha, who was deployed in Kurung Kumey district on election duty, also suffered a heart attack and was admitted to Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), where he is in ventilation," Sain said.

The CEO said Kesang Goiba, returning officer of Rumgong in Siang district, also suffered a heart attack and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in East Siang district.

"An amount of Rs 15 lakh will be paid as ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased, while others will be paid as per the prescribed norms of the Election Commission," Sain said.

The CEO added that the state recorded 76.44 per cent polling for assembly polls, while the turnout in the Lok Sabha polls to East and West seats were 76.37 per cent and 70.11 per cent, respectively.

The CEO said repolling is likely to be held in five polling stations, including four in Upper Subansiri and one in Kurung Kumey district. PTI


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