Situation completely peaceful in Nagpur, curfew lifted: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Mar 23 (PTI): Curfew has been lifted in Nagpur as the situation in the city is completely peaceful, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday.
The CM was speaking to the media in the Pimpri Chinchwad area of Pune where he attended an event organised by the non-profit Paani Foundation.
“The situation in Nagpur is completely peaceful. There is no tension anywhere. People of all religions are living together peacefully. Hence, the curfew has been lifted,” said Fadnavis, who is a legislator from the city.
Officials said earlier in the day that curfew had been lifted from the remaining four areas of Nagpur, six days after violence rocked the city.
Following the violence on March 17, curfew was imposed in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shanti Nagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imambada, Yashodhara Nagar and Kapil Nagar police station areas.
Mobs went on a rampage in central Nagpur on Monday night amid rumours that a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions was burnt during protests led by VHP and Bajrang Dal demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
Curfew was lifted from localities within the jurisdictions of Nandanvan and Kapil Nagar police stations on March 20, and from Pachpaoli, Shanti Nagar, Lakadganj, Sakkardara and Imambada on March 22.
Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal on Sunday ordered the lifting of curfew in the remaining Kotwali, Tehsil, Ganeshpeth and Yashodhara Nagar police station areas from 3 pm.
Patrolling will continue in sensitive areas along with the deployment of local police, an official said.
Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on March 17 after baseless rumours were spread mischievously claiming that a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions was burned during the VHP protests, according to the authorities.
Thirty-three police personnel, including three Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officers, were injured in the violence.
The police have arrested more than 100 persons in connection with the violence.
Fadnavis had said on Saturday that the government would recover the cost of property damaged during the Nagpur violence from rioters and roll bulldozer “if necessary”.
He said if the perpetrators of violence failed to compensate, their properties would be seized and sold to recover the losses.
The CM emphasised that strict action would be taken against those who attacked police officers during the unrest.
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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.
