Rajnath speaks to UP CM, seeks 'effective action' in techie killing
New Delhi/Lucknow, Sep 29 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the murder of a young Apple executive by police in Lucknow and sought "effective and appropriate action".
"Spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the Lucknow's incident of Vivek Tiwari. I have asked the Chief Minister to take effective and appropriate action," Rajnath Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.
His remarks came after a UP Police constable was arrested and booked for murder after he shot and killed a young Apple executive from close range. The state government has also ordered a probe into the incident.
According to the UP Police officials, the constable and his colleague have been dismissed from service and sent to jail. The Chief Minister has said if needed an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would be ordered.
According to a colleague of Apple sales manager, the accused constable, Prashant Chowdhary, had shot at Vivek Tiwari after chasing the SUV he was driving. He had apparently failed to stop Tiwari during a late-night checking.
The incident happened at around 1.30 a.m, when Tiwari was heading home after the launch of iPhone XS and XS Max, along with Sana Khan, his colleague.
Khan said that after they were fired at, Tiwari got scared and drove the SUV into an underpass pillar, sustaining more injuries.
Director-General of Police O.P. Singh has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General (Lucknow) to probe the case. Superintendent of Police (Crime and Rural) will be part of the team which has been asked to submit its report at the earliest.
Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani has met District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma requesting a simultaneous magisterial inquiry into the incident.
The autopsy revealed on Saturday that the bullet had hit Tiwari in the chin and got stuck between the neck and the head, leading to his death due to "profuse bleeding".
The SSP said the constable had been booked for murder after Khan filed an FIR.
According to the police, when the constable at Gomtinagar Extension signalled Tiwari to stop for checking, "he tried to flee". Police officials said: "As Tiwari sped away, his car hit a bike on which two constables were riding, who then chased and shot him."
A second policeman has also been arrested and both were sent for medical examination to ascertain if they were drunk when the incident took place, an official said.
Tiwari's widow, Kalpana, has demanded that the Chief Minister should explain to her and her girls why the 38-year-old Apple executive was shot dead.
"We were so happy when the Bharatiya Janata Party government was voted to power...when Yogiji became Chief Minister... Was it for all this?" she said.
Adityanath told the media that a probe had been ordered and that it was "definitely not a police encounter". "If needed, we will not hesitate in ordering a CBI probe...," he said.
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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.
