9 held after stone-pelting during Hanuman Jayanti procession in MP's Guna
Bhopal, Apr 13 (PTI): Police have apprehended nine persons in connection with stone-pelting during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Madhya Pradesh's Guna city, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place at around 7.45 pm on Saturday near a mosque in Colonelganj area when members of two communities came face-to-face, following which the authorities rushed to the site to bring the situation under control, they said.
The situation was currently peaceful, the officials said.
"Eight-nine persons from among those involved in the stone-pelting have been taken into custody. They will be charged on the basis of videos and CCTV footage of the incident. More persons are being identified," Additional Superintendent of Police Man Singh Thakur told PTI.
The police were searching for the other accused and they will be arrested, he said.
The incident occurred when the procession was passing in front of a mosque. There was some communication-gap during which the two groups came face-to-face, leading to stone-pelting, Guna Collector Kishore Kanyal said.
There was no permission to take out the procession in that area, he said.
However, Ranjeet Khatik, one of the procession organisers, said, "The administration is saying that there was no permission but I have all the proof of the permission."
Stones were pelted when some boys raised slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram', while the other group, in retaliation, raised 'Allahhu Akbar' slogan, he claimed.
The information about the stone-pelting at a procession was received at around 7.45 pm on Saturday, when members of two communities came face-to-face, Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Sinha said.
The police force, posted at Tekri Dham, rushed to the spot, he said.
Based on a complaint by a local corporator, a case has been registered in which four-five persons have been named while 15-20 others are unidentified, the official said.
Security forces from neighbouring districts have been deployed here, he said.
Thakur said police personnel from three districts arrived and they were deployed in different areas.
The situation is under control now, the collector said.
STORY | 9 held after stone-pelting during Hanuman Jayanti procession in MP's Guna
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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.
