Surathkal tollgate protesters summoned to court following police charge sheet
Surathkal: Protesters who took part in the 2022 agitation demanding the closure of the Surathkal tollgate on National Highway 66 have been served court summonses on Monday. The move comes after the Surathkal Police filed a charge sheet against more than 100 individuals, including Toll Gate Protest Committee convener Muneer Katipalla and Karnataka Congress General Secretary Mithun Rai.
The organization advocating for the removal of the toll gate had orchestrated a direct action in 2022, resulting in hundreds of protesters besieging the Surathkal toll gate, surpassing police surveillance. Over 250 protesters were arrested, and cases were filed against 101 individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Surathkal Police submitted the charge sheet in October 2023, citing the names of 101 protesters based on video footage of the protest. Katipalla expressed concern, stating that their organization had been categorized as anonymous protesters in the police case. He emphasized that the protest was non-violent and without fatalities, questioning the necessity of filing a charge sheet against 101 participants.
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Katipalla accused the police of acting under pressure from district MPs and legislators, anticipating the opening of nearly 10 toll gates in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. He alleged that the police's actions were an attempt to thwart objections and protests against the toll gates.
Joint-convener of the protest committee, BK Imthiaz, echoed Katipalla's sentiments, accusing the police of working as puppets in the hands of BJP legislators. Despite Congress being in power, Imthiaz questioned the police's alignment with the BJP agenda.
The protesters summoned to court vowed to resist what they perceive as anti-citizen moves by those in power and expressed their commitment to continuing their cause.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
