Minor protests reported in Kerala polling over bogus vote allegations
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Assembly polling across Kerala progressed largely peacefully, but protests were reported at several booths on Thursday over allegations of bogus voting.
A minor scuffle broke out between Congress and BJP activists at Manalur in Thrissur district after UDF candidate T N Prathapan arrived in the area.
According to police, BJP activists prevented people accompanying Prathapan from entering the booth premises, leading to the scuffle.
In Wadakkanchery, also in Thrissur district, a voter, Sajeev, was unable to cast his vote after election officials informed him that his vote had already been recorded as a postal ballot.
This triggered protests by BJP activists, prompting police intervention.
Although election officials offered to allow him to cast a tender vote, he declined.
BJP candidate T S Ullas Babu later arrived at the booth and staged a protest.
A similar incident occurred in Kuttiady, Kozhikode district, where a woman was denied the right to vote after it was found that her vote had already been cast as a postal ballot.
At Malampuzha and Shoranur in Palakkad district, Thrikkaripur in Kasaragod, and Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, complaints emerged that votes had been cast in the names of original voters, leading to protests.
The affected voters were later permitted to cast tender votes.
If a voter arrives at the polling station and finds someone has already voted in their name, they can inform the presiding officer. After satisfactorily proving their identity with valid documents, the voter is allowed to cast a tendered ballot instead of using the voting machine.
In Kalpetta, Wayanad, a polling agent was removed after it was found that she was simultaneously working as an ASHA worker.
In a separate incident in Uduma, Kasaragod, a Congress agent was caught using "smart spectacles" inside a polling booth.
At a polling booth in Badaje, Manjeshwar, Kasaragod, a defect was noticed in a voting machine that recorded more votes than were actually polled.
Polling in all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala commenced at 7 am.
The crucial elections will decide whether the ruling LDF will secure a straight third term, whether the UDF will make a comeback, or whether the BJP will spring a surprise in an otherwise bipolar contest.
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.
Noida student's death: Family cries foul, police says autopsy confirms drowning
Noida (PTI): The family of a 21-year-old university student, who drowned at an abandoned construction site in Noida, Thursday alleged foul play saying there were marks on his body even as the police confirmed drowning as the cause of death.
According to a police statement, sand and water were found in the lungs of the deceased, identified as Harshit Bhatt, while his viscera has been preserved for further examination.
Bhatt, a final-year Bachelor of Physical Education student of the private university and a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, had drowned on Wednesday in a water-filled area at the abandoned construction site in Sector 94, under Sector 126 police station limits.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Saad Miyan Khan said the student had gone to the site along with four friends to celebrate the end of their examinations.
"During the outing, Bhatt entered a nearby water-filled pit to bathe and suddenly drowned," the officer said, adding that the incident was reported to Dial-112 by one of his companions.
Police and PRV personnel rushed to the spot and, with the help of local divers, retrieved him from the water and rushed him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Khan said other students who had entered the water in an attempt to rescue him were safely pulled out and are stable.
Meanwhile, Bhatt's mother has alleged that there were black marks on his body, raising suspicion over the incident.
Police, however, said no formal complaint has been received from the family so far and action will be taken if any complaint is lodged.
An eyewitness, who assisted in the rescue, said he and others rushed to the spot after hearing cries for help and managed to pull out two students.
"They told us it was their last exam and they had come for a party. One of them went deeper into the water while bathing," the eyewitness said.
