As emotions run high over Aurangzeb, his tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar turns ‘no drone’ zone
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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): Amid calls for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb at Khultabad in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the administration has declared the grave of the Mughal ruler a “no drone” zone, an official said on Wednesday.
On the social media sphere, police are busy tracking “objectionable” posts over the matter and getting them deleted, another official said. Over 500 such online posts have been deleted so far, he said.
Demonstrations have been held across the state seeking the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb at Khultabad town, about 25 km from the district headquarters, with many politicians echoing the call. Such a protest sparked violence in Nagpur on Monday.
The district administration has made the area a “no drone” zone, an official said, adding that a state reserve police force company and 50 other personnel have been deployed in the town to maintain law and order.
District Collector Dilip Swami, who visited the Archaeological Society of Indian-protected site on Tuesday, told reporters, “No one should believe in rumours and people should contact the administration or the police if they have any information concerning the matter.”
Meanwhile, A team of ten police personnel and officials is working round the clock in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city to track provocative posts on social media platforms and get those removed, he said.
Cyber Police Inspector Shivcharan Pandhare told PTI, “The hashtag (#) Alamgir and Aurangzeb are trending. We are using these hashtags to check such posts and the offensive comments tied to them.”
The official said they have got 506 posts removed from various social media platforms so far and warned over 80 individuals to desist from posting incendiary content online. “But from now onwards, we will register offences against those behind objectionable posts,” he added.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
