Man loses hand to tear gas canister during polls

Sep 16, 2020

One of the Police officers threw a tear gas canister at the crowd, but one of them picked it up and tried to throw it back. But the canister exploded and ripped off the supporter's hand.

POLITICS|ELECTIONS|RIOTS|TEARGAS|POLICE

IGANGA - A 24-year-old man is nursing serious injuries after losing a hand when he attempted to throw back a tear gas canister that was hurled at a riotous crowd in Bugumba village, Iganga municipality.

The anti-riot Police that was deployed at Bugumba B polling station yesterday, was engaged in running battles with Haji Asuman Dhabasada's supporters.

Dhabasada was contesting for the Iganga municipality mayoral seat in the NRM primaries.

The supporters, who were protesting the delay by the presiding officer to announce the results of the winner, later started hurling stones, forcing the Police to fire tear gas and live bullets in the air.

One of the Police officers threw a tear gas canister at the crowd, but one of them picked it up and tried to throw it back. But the canister exploded and ripped off the supporter's hand.

Saddam Kyozira, the man who lost his hand, was rushed to Iganga Hospital by a Good Samaritan.

However, at the hospital, medical personnel were reluctant to attend to him, saying they were only being careful since they did not know his COVID-19 status.

The NRM returning officer of Iganga, Yazid Kirunda, said investigations are underway, to establish why the presiding officer at the polling station took long to announce the results.

"It is the delay that forced the supporters to think that there was something fishy going on," he said.

Kirunda cautioned contestants against ferrying people from other areas to come and vote for them, saying anyone found guilty risks being dismissed from the race.

The Iganga district Police commander, Davis Willy Ndawula, accused presiding officers and NRM electoral officials of forging results.

"Unless they sort matters out this chaos will not end," he said Ndawula said five people had so far been arrested for engaging in election related violence during the NRM primaries.

He said the five were threatening to harm supporters of other candidates at different polling stations.

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