Deputy CM Shivakumar files formal complaint with Election Commission
Bengaluru: Hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led a protest in Bengaluru over alleged voter fraud, deputy chief minister and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar Friday formally submitted a memorandum to the chief electoral officer (CEO), seeking action against officials allegedly involved in electoral malpractice during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In response, the CEO has asked Shivakumar to submit supporting documents and a declaration as per the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, before action can be taken. In a letter to Shivakumar, the CEO said the Congress functionary had submitted his representation dated Aug 5, 2024, on Friday but did not attach any documentary evidence to support the allegations. Shivakumar said he had named Mahadevapura and Gandhinagar constituencies as examples of electoral fraud. “Vote theft not only happened in Mahadevapura, but across Karnataka,” he said. “We have requested the Election Commission (EC) to investigate the fraud and punish officials concerned, be it a block level officer or returning officer.” He said Congress would soon provide supporting documents. “There were multiple frauds like enrolling a name at more than five places, without house number, using vacant site detail, or shifting votes from one booth to another,” he said. “The EC should find such frauds and take action against the persons concerned.” Responding to the EC’s request for affidavits from Rahul Gandhi and Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on their allegations of vote theft, Shivakumar said their public statements should suffice. “There is no need of an affidavit as they have already submitted an affidavit at the time of contesting elections,” he said. “If they find we are lying, let them hang me. The EC did not say we lied or denied our allegation.” Shivakumar said a team of 20 people took six months to expose the vote fraud in Mahadevapura assembly constituency, despite using AI tools to match photos, identify duplicates and ghost voters in electoral rolls provided by the Election Commission (EC). In his complaint, he urged the EC to scrutinise voter lists for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls across all constituencies in the state, make digital, machine-readable photo electoral rolls publicly available and to publish findings of the EC’s investigation, specifically highlighting any suspicious voters who have been added, deleted, or substituted. He also emphasised the need to re-examine the impact of such dubious voters on final electoral outcomes in these constituencies and to find, suspend and punish officials who signed fraudulent Form-6, Form-7, and Form-8. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Inhumanity with a Class 8 student in Gorakhpur: Beaten after being held hostage, made to lick spit; Chandrashekhar Azad said—this is an attack on the Constitution
In Gorakhpur, a Class 8 student was held hostage in a hardware shop and beaten due to caste hatred, video of making him lick spit went viral—MP Chandrashekhar Azad expressed anger. Gorakhpur: A heart-wrenching incident that shames humanity has come to light from Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Harsh Maurya, the minor son of a sanitation worker studying in Class 8 in Chiluatal police station area, was allegedly kidnapped by some casteist elements and held hostage in a hardware shop. It is alleged that the student was brutally beaten and forced to lick spit. Not only this, a video of this entire act was made and made viral on social media. As soon as the news of this inhuman incident came to light, people started reacting sharply. National President of Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) and MP from Nagina Chandrashekhar Azad on Friday strongly condemned this incident. He wrote on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter): “The incident of kidnapping of Harsh Maurya, a minor student of class 8, son of a sanitation worker, in Chiluatal police station area of Gorakhpur district by caste terrorists, holding him hostage in a hardware shop, brutally beating him and making him lick his spit is a shame on humanity… This incident is not just an attack on a child, but a direct attack on the dignity, constitution and humanity of the entire Bahujan Samaj.” Chandrashekhar Azad also said that this incident raises serious questions on the law and order of Uttar Pradesh. He has demanded from the Chief Minister of the state Yogi Adityanath to take strict action against the culprits and provide justice and security to the victim child. There has also been a response from the Gorakhpur police in the matter. The official ‘X’ handle of the police said: “There was a dispute between two minor children about teasing each other over something. Due to this dispute, the above incident was carried out by a minor through another person. A case has been registered on the basis of the complaint received and legal action is being taken by taking the accused into custody.” The police has said that the matter is a dispute between children and action will be taken, but the video of the incident going viral and the cruelty shown in it has raised questions on the role of the administration. Courtesy : Hindi News
Dalit man assaulted in Andhra Pradesh, accused tied to Jagan Reddy party’s leader
A Dalit youth in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati was allegedly abducted and assaulted by men linked to YSRCP leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy. Police arrested two accused while others remain at large. The attack, sparked by a bike dispute, turned into caste violence. A case of caste violence has been reported in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, where a Dalit youth was allegedly abducted and beaten by men linked to senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy. Police said the victim, Pawan Kumar, a resident of Pulicharla and belonging to the Mala (SC) community, was attacked on Wednesday by Anil Reddy, a known criminal and personal driver of former YSRCP MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, along with an accomplice, Dinesh. The duo allegedly locked Pawan in a room, beat him with lathis, and filmed the assault. The video was then sent to Pawan’s father, Neelam Jayaraju, in what police believe was an act of intimidation. Pawan’s mother said the attackers called her husband, told him they had locked up their son, and demanded Rs 5 lakh to release him. “They threatened to sell his kidneys and send his body back if we didn’t pay,” she alleged. According to preliminary reports, the incident took place while the accused were at Bhumana Karunakar Reddy’s office, where his son, Abhinay Reddy, was also reportedly present. Tirupati East DSP Bhakta Vatsalam confirmed that Dinesh and Anil Reddy were involved. Anil, who has six criminal cases against him and runs SVB Bike Riders and Rentals, was arrested earlier. Another suspect, Jaggareddy alias Jagadish, was also taken into custody after Anil’s interrogation. The attack reportedly began over a rented motorcycle dispute but escalated into brutal caste-based violence, allegedly fuelled by political influence. Pawan was released after the assault. Police are searching for the remaining accused. Reacting to the incident, Minister Anagani Satya Prasad said, “We won’t tolerate rowdyism anywhere in the state. Even in Pulivendula, people don’t want such behaviour and are turning towards the TDP. For incidents like this to happen in a sacred place like Tirumala and Tirupati, we will not let things go easily. Action will be taken.” Courtesy : India Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatoday.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
YouTubers face heat over skit referencing Dalit man’s honour killing in Tamil Nadu
Popular Tamil YouTubers Gopi and Sudhakar are facing backlash after releasing a video titled ‘Society Paavangal (society sins), which indirectly referenced the murder of Kavin, a young Dalit man killed allegedly for being in a relationship with a caste Hindu woman. The skit questioned how certain groups glorifying ancient history were endangering the lives and futures of the younger generation. The duo used satire to highlight the hypocrisy in society’s silence over caste violence while aggressively protecting caste pride. It sparked outrage among caste Hindu groups, with 30 lawyers from the community filing a complaint demanding a ban on the channel. Film producer AM Chowdry also lashed out at the creators, asking who they were to speak about societal issues. In a now-viral comment, he went so far as to call the duo “dogs” and warned them against speaking on such matters again. Kavin, employed in an IT firm, was killed on July 27 near a private hospital in Tirunelveli, in what police sources say was an act of honour killing. He had been in a relationship with his former schoolmate, a caste Hindu woman working at a hospital in KTC Nagar. Despite opposition from her family, Kavin had expressed his intent to marry her. On Sunday, while waiting near the hospital to meet her, he was approached by her brother, Surjeet. Following an argument, Surjeet allegedly pulled out a sickle and hacked Kavin to death, just 200 metres from the hospital. Courtesy : MSN Note: This news is originally published on https:/msn.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Eviction notice after dalits claim wall raised to discriminate them
Karur: The Karur district administration issued an eviction notice on Thursday to stop a wall that was being built by members of the thottia naicker community in a govt poramboke land in Muthuladampatti area to allegedly prevent free movement of dalit residents. However, according to sources, the thottia naicker community had strongly refuted the allegations, claiming that they had built the wall only to stop ‘drunkards’ from entering the area and causing trouble. Karur revenue divisional officer (RDO) M Mohammed Byzal said that an eviction notice was issued to members of the thottia naicker community, who had built a wall using concrete blocks that allegedly obstructed access for the arunthathiyar community. The notice followed an official inquiry. It was alleged that the 1.25-acre poramboke land had been under the informal possession of the other community for several years. The dalit community, which has its own temple within their settlement, had been pushing for a part of the land to build a drama stage and a toilet. However, sources said members of the other community suddenly began constructing a wall — close to 200 feet long and 10 feet high — between the two settlements allegedly to limit their movement. The dalit residents had petitioned the district administration and alleged that it was an ‘untouchability wall’, as a result of which two peace meetings were held, with the latest being on July 29 along with the tahsildar and other district officials. “The community has also alleged that they were told not to walk with slippers while passing through the other commuinty area. But we found no evidence of that during our inspection. Nevertheless, during a peace meeting held with both groups, we strongly advised against such practices if at all they had occurred,” the RDO told TOI. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Women, transgender drivers get autos
Add Your Heading Text HereMadurai: IT minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Thursday distributed welfare assistance, including 11 autorickshaws, to women and transgender drivers at a function at Periyar complex bus stand. The initiative was organised by the department of labour welfare and skill development for beneficiaries registered with Tamil Nadu Unorganised Drivers and Automotive Repair Workers Welfare Board. Nine of the autos were handed over to women drivers. District collector K J Praveen Kumar and mayor Indrani Ponvasanth were present. Officials said that since 2023, as many as 1,126 women autorickshaw drivers from the district applied for financial assistance under the scheme. So far, 644 of them received ₹1 lakh subsidy each. The scheme aims to support self-employment opportunities and improve livelihood security for drivers from marginalised communities in the unorganised sector. PTR said the govt remains committed to ensuring that inclusive welfare programmes reach all eligible beneficiaries. Efforts are being made to streamline application and disbursal processes to help more people benefit from such schemes, he added. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
1 lakh fake voters in Karnataka seat that BJP swept in 2024: Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Following through on his claim of “atom bomb evidence of voter manipulation” in favour of governing BJP, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said over one lakh voters were downright fake in Mahadevapura assembly seat that BJP swept to narrowly win Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in 2024. There are eight segments in the LS seat. He accused EC of colluding with BJP to “destroy Indian democracy and steal elections”, and argued that if EC now does not provide electronic voters’ data of 10-15 years and CCTV footage, then it is “partaking in crime” since the two are now “evidence of crime”. He urged the judiciary to intervene to save Indian democracy. Addressing a press conference in the form of data point presentation of Congress’ Mahadevapura study, with the national anthem played at the end, Rahul said, “This is a crime being committed against the Constitution, Indian flag… I want the nation to know that there is a huge criminal fraud being perpetrated on India by EC and the party in office.” Citing the study, Rahul claimed BJP won Bangalore Central by 32,707 votes while 1,00,250 fake votes were polled for it. He said fake votes were in five categories – duplicate voters (11,965), fake/invalid addresses (40,009), bulk voters in one address (10,452), invalid photos of voters (4,132) and “misuse of Form 6” for becoming first-time voter (33,692). Showing files, he cited examples to assert people have voted multiple times in different booths of the seat, while addresses shown on voters’ lists are like “Street 0”, “House no 0”. He said there were as many as 80 voters shown in one address, even 50 in one-bedroom house, while attempts to cross-check resulted in beating up of researchers or confirmation that they did not live there. Rahul said it is famously claimed that first-time voters vote for PM Modi, but Form 6 instances in Mahadevapura showed there were no first-time voters in the 18-23 age group, and instead the age group was in 90s and 50s, etc. “This is how Bangalore Central was stolen. The reason EC does not provide us data is because it is happening across country,” he said, adding, “The difference between (BJP) winning and (Congress) losing in Haryana polls was 22,779 votes, and in one Karnataka assembly seat they have stolen four times of that vote.” He said there is a pattern of BJP winning an LS seat by sweeping a solitary assembly segment, underlining, “Modi is PM by a slender majority of 25 seats.” To a question, Rahul said he is a politician and his word to the people should be taken as an oath, as he mocked EC for asking for it instead of reacting to his presentation by promising to check the information he had provided. Rahul said BJP has built narratives of specific issues influencing elections like Ladli Behna scheme, Pulwama, now Operation Sindoor, and anti-incumbency has eluded BJP. However, he said there were suspicions about BJP’s victories, like in Maharashtra polls after being swept out in LS elections in the state. He said doubts became concrete when EC refused to provide machine-readable voters’ lists, and then showed a surge in voting after 5.30pm while deciding to destroy CCTV footage. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
‘He indirectly supported SIR’: Assam CM Himanta on Rahul’s ‘vote theft’ claim; cites ‘Bangladeshi names’ in voter rolls
NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had indirectly supported the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls through his recent remarks. Himanta said the revision exercise is necessary in Assam to remove the names of what he called “Bangladeshis” from the voter list. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Sarma referred to Gandhi’s comments on alleged irregularities in voter rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly constituency. Gandhi had claimed that over one lakh votes in the area were fake, duplicate, or bulk voters, with invalid addresses and misuse of Form 6. Sarma said, “Rahul Gandhi has himself given a certificate that SIR should be conducted. There should be a unique name along with an Aadhaar number. He (Gandhi) took some North Indian names. In Assam, we have names of ‘Bangladeshis’ in our voter rolls.” — himantabiswa (@himantabiswa) He added, “The same names are in Barpeta, Guwahati, Kerala and Delhi. It is a disease. That is why SIR is being done in Bihar.” Sarma also claimed that names of deceased persons are still present in the Assam electoral rolls. “That is why it (SIR) is required in Assam. After a long time, Rahul Gandhi has indirectly supported the Election Commission. His claim establishes that SIR is needed. I welcome it,” the Assam chief minister said. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had addressed a press conference in New Delhi, where he alleged a “huge criminal fraud” in elections. He accused the BJP and the Election Commission of working together in what he called a ‘vote chori model” being used in several constituencies. Gandhi said the judiciary should step in as “the democracy that we love so much, does not exist anymore.” He claimed that in Mahadevapura, there was “vote chori” of 1,00,250 votes. According to him, this included 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters using a single address, 4,132 voters with invalid photos, and 33,692 cases of misuse of Form 6 for new voters. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Min pledges support to transgender community
Lucknow: Social welfare minister Asim Arun assured members of the transgender community that he would ensure that they get all govt facilities and basic infrastructure at the earliest. Talking to members of the community in Basti on Wednesday, the minister said that transgender settlements would be identified in Basti and efforts would be initiated to ensure all basic facilities, including roads, water, electricity and sanitation, there. The minister promised govt funding to groups involved in activities like dairy and goat farming so that they can strengthen and expand their businesses. As part of the scheme to ensure financial independence for members of the transgender community, those interested in starting businesses such as beauty parlours, computer centres and public service centres would receive training and get access to easy loans. Besides, a survey will be conducted to identify persons who do not have requisite identity documents. The social welfare department will then assist such persons to get the necessary paperwork done for IDs such as Aadhaar. A ‘Garima Griha’, similar to the one in Gorakhpur, would also be opened in Basti. “The department of social welfare is consistently working to deliver govt schemes and resources to the transgender community. In line with this, a special dialogue focusing on the empowerment of the transgender community was organised in Basti on Wednesday. Approximately 40 members of the transgender community participated and engaged with officials from the administration, police and various departments,” said a department spokesperson. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Gang rape of a Dalit: Boyfriend killed and girlfriend taken away, girl kept screaming in the forest; beasts kept looting her honour
A case of gang rape of a girl has come to light in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. When the girl went for a walk in the forest with her lover, four youths raped her. Police have arrested three accused. A heart-wrenching case has come to light in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. Four youths have committed brutality on a Dalit girl. The girl’s friend was beaten with sticks and the girl was kidnapped and her dignity was looted. Police have registered a case against the accused. Three of the four accused have been arrested, search for one is on. According to the information, the case is of Barigwa village of Churhat police station area of Sidhi district. It is said that a lover couple had gone to take photos after seeing the beauty of the forest. Then four youths already present there attacked them. The youth was hit with sticks on the head, due to which he became unconscious. Then two accused picked up the girl and took her to the forest, two accused held the lover. All four raped the girl in turns and ran away into the forest. The girl somehow reached the village and asked for help from a villager. Police have registered a case against the four accused. After investigation, the police have arrested three accused. One is absconding. A story of endless pain, in the words of the victim In the case, the victim girl said that I had gone to Barigwa village with my friend at around 2 pm on Tuesday afternoon, where both of us left for the forest to get a photo taken. After this, four people were sitting in ambush and as soon as we started coming down, they covered my mouth. My friend was hit with a stick on the head, due to which he fell on the ground. After this, two people picked me up and took me to the top of the forest and two people were holding my friend. All of them together raped me. I kept crying, pleading, kept falling at their feet, but no one showed mercy on me. After this, they threatened me that if I tell anyone, they will kill both of you. Then everyone ran away with my and my friend’s phone. After this, I and my friend ran down from the forest and informed the villagers about it. The villager whom the victim met first and asked for help. That villager Dalveer Singh Gond said that I was doing building construction work in my village, when between 2 and 2:30 a girl came crying and stumbling. She told me that she has been raped, after which she informed the police. Then the police reached the spot. Where I went towards the forest with the police. Where the police took my statement and then kept on questioning me rapidly. The police kept roaming in my village and the surrounding villages the whole night, after which there was an atmosphere of panic in the whole village. SDOP Churhat Ashutosh Dwivedi said that we received information about the case from Semaria police station. The area of the incident seems to be Churhat police station, but due to being close, the victim first reached Semaria police station. There the station in-charge got her first aid, then a case was registered late night at Churhat police station. The suspects are being searched and some people have been detained and interrogation is going on. Sidhi SP Dr. Ravindra Verma said that this is a heinous crime. The first priority of our team was to get the victim treated, who has been admitted to a safe hospital. The accused had fled towards the dense forest and there are no CCTV cameras in that area. Due to this it is taking some time, but soon the remaining accused will be arrested. Published by: Dinesh Sharma Courtesy : Hindi News