No evidence of ‘vote theft’ in Haryana’s Hodal, Rai as alleged by Rahul Gandhi: Report
Hodal: A field investigation by The Indian Express has contradicted Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations of large-scale “vote theft” in Haryana’s Hodal and Rai constituencies. Gandhi had claimed that dozens and even hundreds of voters were registered under single house numbers and that the photo of a Brazilian national had been used multiple times on voter lists.
At a press conference earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged that in Palwal district’s Hodal, “66 voters were registered in one house and 501 in another,” calling it evidence of “vote theft.” He further claimed that a photograph of a Brazilian woman was used under multiple Indian names in Sonipat district’s Rai, adding, “She has got multiple names — Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, Vimla.”
However, The Indian Express reported that its ground investigation found no irregularities of the kind alleged. The two addresses in question in Hodal turned out to be large family plots, each housing multiple families who legitimately reside there and vote from those addresses.
In Hodal’s Gudhrana village, House Number 150, cited by Gandhi as having 66 voters, belongs to BJP zila parishad vice-chairperson Umesh Gudhrana. His uncle, Rajpal Gudhrana, told the newspaper that the extended Gudhrana family has lived on the same five-acre plot for four generations. Each of the several family homes built there over time continues to share the original house number. “There is no question of vote theft. Whoever from my family gets a voter ID made, the BLO writes the address as House Number 150 only,” Umesh Gudhrana said.
Similarly, at House Number 265, alleged to have 501 voters, residents explained that the land once belonged to a single family that has since subdivided it into about 200 houses and three private schools. One of the residents, Kishni (72), said her family had lived there for generations. Her son, Pawan, told the outlet that as the land was divided and sold, many houses were built but retained the same address number in records.
In Sonipat’s Rai, The Indian Express traced four of the women whose photos on the voter roll matched that of a Brazilian model. They said they had voted without issue and were unaware of Rahul Gandhi’s allegations. One of them, Sweety, said, “I used my 2012 voter card and the slip they issued.” Another voter, Harsha, said her mother’s 2019 voter ID had the correct photo and that they had faced no difficulties voting.
A voter from Machhraula village, Pinki, acknowledged a mix-up in her voter ID but clarified it was due to a local administrative error, not the use of a foreign photograph. She said she had returned her card to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) and had voted using her Aadhaar and voter slip instead.
Both current and former BLOs of the area told the newspaper that they were unaware of how a Brazilian national’s photograph came to appear on the rolls.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
