Cost of damage in Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters: Maharashtra CM
Nagpur(PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the government will recover the cost of property damage caused during the recent Nagpur violence from the rioters.
If the perpetrators of violence fail to compensate, their properties will be seized and sold to recover the losses, he said.
Addressing the media, he emphasised that strict action would be taken against those who attacked police officers during the unrest.
Fadnavis stressed that the incident cannot be termed "intelligence failure", but the intelligence (gathering) could have been better.
He said 104 individuals have been identified so far, following an analysis of CCTV footage and video recordings. Action has been initiated against 92 people, including 12 minors, as per the law.
The violence erupted on March 17, after rumours spread that a ‘chadar’ with religious inscriptions had been burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
The clashes resulted in widespread stone-pelting and arson across several parts of the city, leaving 33 police personnel, including three Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officers, injured.
Fadnavis said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Nagpur on March 30 would proceed as planned, unaffected by the violence.
"The cost of properties damaged during Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to the seizure and selling of their properties to recover losses.
"My government will not rest until those responsible for attacking the police are found and dealt with sternly," said Fadnavis, who also heads the Home Ministry.
He said the situation in Nagpur is calm now, and efforts are underway to relax the curfew imposed in certain areas. "Riots broke out only in parts of the city, while 80 per cent of Nagpur wasn't impacted," he added.
Fadnavis stated that the distribution of compensation for victims would begin soon and that 68 social media posts that aggravated the situation had been identified and deleted.
He said those who circulated inflammatory content would be charged as co-accused for their role in inciting violence.
Fadnavis further said it was too early to comment on a foreign or Bangladeshi link to the riots as the probe is underway.
"Those who circulated inflammatory posts on social media that aggravated the situation will be made co-accused in the riots case because they facilitated in instigating people. 68 such social media posts have been identified and deleted," he added.
Fadnavis said female police constables were not molested though stones were thrown at them by rioters.
Responding to speculation that the riot in his hometown was orchestrated to target him politically, Fadnavis said, "It is foolish to say such things. There is no political angle to the violence ".
During his first visit to Nagpur after the violence on Friday, the chief minister assessed the situation and chaired a meeting with senior police and administrative officers at the police commissionarate.
Fadnavis said he discussed how the violence unfolded and whether there were any lapses by police. He reviewed the action taken so far and shared his observations with police officers.
When asked if Congress was politicising the issue by dispatching a committee to visit the violence-hit areas, Fadnavis pointed out that one of the members of the visiting panel is an accused in the Akola violence case.
Nagpur Police had said 105 persons have been held so far in connection with the violence, including key accused and Minority Democratic Party leader Fahim Khan, who was booked for sedition.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
