Take your petitions to the court, says Enga police chief

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THE Wabag police station will not entertain people with complaints about election petitions or the elections that could be dealt with by the courts later.
Provincial police commander acting Superintendent George Kakas, pictured,  said people should feel free to lay other complaints at the station.
He said the election taskforce, established to assist people with election-related issues, were ready to help those with complaints.
He said the security personnel stopped people from coming in groups to present their petitions, but individuals were allowed to come and lay their complaints and petitions.
Kamane Wamga, a village court magistrate from the Kanak council ward, and Yanis Waima, a community leader from the Pilikambi local level government area, said people were not allowed to go to the police station to lay their complaints.
They said on July 8 during polling at the Kanak council ward in Pilikambi, People’s National Congress Party candidate Nathan Piari, contesting the Laiagam-Porgera Open seat, allegedly discharged his firearm at the polling venue and injured a woman on her leg. He clansmen retaliated and burnt an old man from the candidate’s Walyage clan in his house.
Wamga said Piari allegedly instigated the problem and he should be arrested and put behind bars. Kakas said he was aware of the incident but there was no complaint made to police.
Wanga said that during polling day, four clans of Kaimul tribe agreed that due to irregularities in the common roll, they wanted to share the ballot papers among the four clans.
He said after the signed papers were distributed by the presiding officer according to their wish, a feud erupted between Piari’s supporter and another within the same Walyage clan over their share of 561 papers.
Wamga said the candidate, who had a pistol, fired several shots at the voters, injuring an elderly woman on her leg.
He identified the woman as Esther Dominic, 50, from the Ambai clan and the man as Ipi Walyange, 70 of the Walyage clan.
Wamga said that about 2200 voters fled and didn’t cast their votes.
He said that Dominic was receiving treatment at the Wabag General Hospital.