BJP, RSS-linked persons appointed as SIR assistants in MP's Datia; collector calls it 'mistake'
Bhopal (PTI): Individuals linked to the BJP-RSS were appointed as assistants to Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls with the collector on Monday calling it a 'mistake' and seeking explanation from officials.
The Datia administration admitted that names of some politically-affiliated persons were 'mistakenly' added as BLO assistants, but said the lapse was not intended to be malicious and their names are being removed from the list.
As per the list, each BLO has been assigned two to three assistants for carrying out the state-wide exercise.
The door-to-door enumeration under the Election Commission-mandated SIR of electoral rolls began across Madhya Pradesh on November 4 and will continue till December 4. Draft rolls will be published on December 9.
The Opposition Congress alleged some BLA assistants were associated with the ruling BJP.
Datia collector Swapnil Wankhade told PTI that three names were wrongly included in the list of BLA assistants.
"I did not issue the order. It was issued by the SDM (sub-divisional magistrate) of the Datia assembly (constituency). He received the list from officials, and three names were included incorrectly," he maintained.
The collector informed he had issued a notice to the SDM, who subsequently issued notices to the officials concerned.
"These persons are being removed from the list. Different departments had sent names for assistants and three names were added by mistake. There was no mala fide intention. The official (SDM) had no such intention, but he made a mistake. We have asked him to explain how it happened," asserted Wankhade.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari shared on social media platform X a list issued by the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer (or SDM) and Electoral Registration Officer of Datia district, claiming four of the appointed assistants were linked to the BJP.
The former state minister marked the names of the four alleged BJP office-bearers in the list even as he slammed the Datia district administration and the saffron party.
Patwari alleged, "After the Election Commission, the administration, too, is now seen dancing like an open puppet of those in power and the ruling organisation! The official order issued by the Datia collector appointing several BJP office-bearers, including a former mandal president, as BLO assistants under the name of SIR is the most disgraceful example of pressure from those in power."
He said the BJP government called SIR a 'constitutional process', but every constitutional mechanism was being turned into a tool to implement the party's agenda.
"SIR being coloured in BJP's shade is an insult to democracy. The Congress will not allow this ploy to succeed. We are alert to protect the rights of every voter," Patwari insisted.
When PTI called on the mobile phone numbers of the marked assistants, one of them admitted association with the BJP, while another said he was linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
One of the BLO assistants, Bobby Raja Bundela, said he was associated with the RSS, while another, Manish Mishra, said he had been linked to the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, in Bhandoni town.
It may be noted that BLO is a local government/semi-government official, familiar with the local electors and generally a voter in the same polling area who assists in updating the roll using his local knowledge.
In fact, BLO is a representative of EC at the grassroots level who plays a pivotal role in the process of roll revision and collecting actual field information with regard to the roll corresponding to the polling area assigned to him.
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UAE denies Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Iran war
Jerusalem (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. The UAE denied any secret visit had occurred.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates", according to the Israeli statement.
THE UAE's official WAM news agency posted an article denying the report about a Netanyahu visit.
According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel “are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.
The report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them to the UAE.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors that it remains open for business and safe.
Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called the Emirati president to condemn Iranian attacks and express their solidarity with the Gulf federation.
It was rare public acknowledgment of direct talks between the countries that normalized relations in the 2020 Abraham Accords and have strengthened their ties during the Iran war.
Iran has criticised that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalising relations.
Iran demands Kuwait release detainees
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Iran's foreign minister accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians that the Gulf Arab country accuses of being Revolutionary Guard operatives.
In a post Wednesday on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demanded the Iranians' immediate release and said Iran reserved the right to respond.
“This illegal act took place near an island used by the US to attack Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
A day earlier, Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Iranian human rights lawyer released
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Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been released from prison more than a month after being detained, a rights group and her daughter said Wednesday.
Sotoudeh, who is known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves, was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran in April.
Her release comes as US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a long-anticipated visit that is expected to touch on the war in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which closely tracks developments in Iran, said that Sotoudeh was released on bail from Tehran's Evin Prison.
Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted on social media that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody. Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency also reported Sotoudeh release.
Sotoudeh has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned in the same prison as his wife.
Nobel Peace laureate needs long-term care
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Doctors who examined Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi more than a week after she collapsed at a prison in Iran said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation.
Mohammadi, 53, was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 after she fell unconscious. She was released on bail nearly 10 days later and transferred to a hospital in Tehran where her specialists examined her.
The doctors said her vascular disease has worsened since she was last checked in 2024 and recommended eight months of treatment.
She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her latest imprisonment began in December when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
