Yogi promises all help to slain Apple executive's widow
Lucknow, Oct 1: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday promised all help to Kalpana Tiwari, the widow of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari who was shot dead by a police constable for allegedly not stopping when asked to do so on Saturday.
At the meeting, the Chief Minister assured all help to the bereaved family and said that justice will be done at all costs.
He also told the family that the conduct of the killer police constable, Prashant Chowdhary, was unacceptable and he had been sacked and booked for murder.
At the meeting, which took place in a sombre atmosphere, an official told IANS that the distraught widow broke down many times and wondered aloud how she would bring up her daughters in the absence of her husband.
Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma had taken Kalpana Tiwari and her two daughters - Shanu and Shivi. She was also accompanied by her brother Vishnu Tiwari.
The Chief Minister also spoke briefly to the two daughters of Vivek Tiwari.
Dinesh Sharma met Kalpana Tiwari and other family members of the deceased late on Sunday and coordinated a teleconference between them and the Chief Minister.
Clearly cornered by the horrific incident, senior officials and political leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party swung into action late at night on Sunday and ensured that the Chief Minister met the family the first thing on Monday.
Adityanath has already announced Rs 25 lakh in financial assistance to the family and a government job for Kalpana Tiwari with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
A CCTV footage that surfaced on Monday also punctured the claims of the accused policemen that they opened fire at the 38-year-old when he refused to stop the car, drove away at high speed and tried to run them over.
The footage, a police official privy to the probe ordered by the government said, showed the SUV being driven at normal speed and halting about 500 meters from where the man on the wheel was shot and then bumping into a pillar of the underpass.
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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.
