10-month-old girl killed in wild animal attack in UP's Bahraich
2nd such incident within hours: Officials
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): The half-eaten body of a 10-month-old girl, who was taken away by an unidentified wild animal while she was sleeping with her mother in a hut outside their house, was found from a field in this Uttar Pradesh district on Saturday, officials said.
The incident took place on Friday night in Khiriya Sharif village under the Kotwali Dehat police station area of Bahraich district, they added.
On Saturday, the girl's half-eaten body was found from a field in the village. One arm and a leg of the girl were eaten by the animal and her face had severe injury marks, the officials said.
This was the second incident of a young child being killed by a wild animal in the district within a few hours.
"Rama Devi was sleeping with her 10-month-old daughter, Sunita, in a hut outside her house in Khiriya Sharif village. When she woke up at midnight, the child was missing. Villagers began searching for the girl and several hours later, her mutilated body was found from a field," Forest Range Officer Vinod Kumar Nayak told PTI.
He said the girl's face bore severe wounds, suggesting that an animal might have grabbed her by the mouth. "One of the girl's arms and one of her legs were also missing," the official said.
He said the pugmarks spotted at the site where the body was found were small, making it difficult to ascertain which animal was responsible for the incident.
"A wolf's pugmarks are not that small. It could be a jackal or a wild dog or even a rabies-infected dog," Nayak said.
The ranger said the girl's post-mortem has been conducted and experts are looking into the incident.
Four forest department teams are combing the sugarcane fields in the area in search of the animal. Drones will be used on Sunday. Cages may also be installed based on expert advice, the officials said.
A five-year-old boy playing outside his house was injured in a wolf attack on Friday evening in Mallahan Purva village of Kaiserganj tehsil, about 40 kilometres from the scene where the girl was taken by the wild animal. The child died late at night while being taken to Lucknow for treatment. The forest department has launched a search for the wolves with the help of drones. Three cages have been installed in the area, the officials 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.
