All VVPAT to be in by November: EC
New Delhi, July 25 : The Election Commission on Wednesday said 5.88 lakh units of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) have been produced so far and the remaining 10.27 lakh units would be procured by November, allowing it the time for making pre-poll preparations for the 2019 general elections.
"VVPAT deliveries have been delayed due to analysis of "technology stabilization issues in the initial batches and incorporates essential design improvements", the EC said in a report on Wednesday highlighting how the Commission was struggling to meet the deadline.
The EC said in a statement that even after continuous monitoring, all VVPATs will be delivered well before the end of November 2018, well within the time required for making pre-poll preparations.
In order to meet the requirement of VVPATs for 100 per cent saturation of all polling stations for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the Commission had placed an order for 16.15 lakh VVPATs with state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).
To date, 5.88 lakh units have been produced by the PSUs (4.36 lakh by BEL and 1.52 lakh by ECIL), which is 36 per cent of the total quantity to be supplied," it said.
"Both the PSUs have assured the Commission that the remaining VVPAT units (10.27 lakh) will be manufactured and supplied to the various states/UTs before end of November 2018."
"The Commission is committed to 100 per cent deployment of VVPATs at all polling stations in all elections," it said.
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Hubballi: Gym trainer assaulted; police say clash due to personal reasons
Hubballi: A gym trainer was allegedly assaulted by a group of people following accusations of sexual assault and ‘love jihad’, even as both families involved in the case traded serious allegations.
According to police, a group of individuals went to the residence of Sameer Mulla, a resident of Vijayanagar, and questioned him over his friendship with a woman he had met at a gym. The situation escalated into a clash, during which he was allegedly dragged away and assaulted. He sustained minor injuries and was admitted to KIMS hospital.
N. Shashikumar said that after this incident, members from Sameer’s side went to the woman’s house, leading to another clash in which one person was injured. “It was wrong for groups to go near houses. We will take necessary legal action,” he said, adding that the incident appears to have arisen from personal reasons. Police have taken some individuals into custody and are investigating the matter.
Sameer Mulla was reportedly thrashed by a group of Sangh Parivar activists and later handed over to police at the Old Hubballi Police Station after relatives of the woman and members of Hindu organisations gathered at his residence in Rajnagar.
The woman’s family alleged assault and threats from Sameer’s relatives at their Vikas Nagar residence.
Meanwhile, Sameer’s family denied the allegations and accused the woman’s relatives and others of assaulting and kidnapping him. His sister said the two had been in a relationship for three years and that the allegations were baseless.
Police said statements from both sides have been recorded, and a detailed investigation is underway. Sameer remains hospitalised, and appropriate legal action will be taken based on findings.
In a video statement shared on social media, the 20-year-old woman alleged that Sameer had given her an intoxicant, recorded videos without her consent, and sexually assaulted her. She lodged a complaint alleging rape and blackmail, which police are investigating.
In another video, Sameer denied the allegations, claiming the video was recorded with consent and that the accusations were made under pressure.
Former Hubballi-Dharwad Urban Development Authority (HDUDA) chairman Nagesh Kalburgi termed the incident a serious matter and urged police to take strict action.
Police said the case involves multiple complaints from both sides, and further investigation is underway.
