Congress leader shot dead in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district; six booked
Chhatarpur (MP): A local Congress leader was allegedly shot dead by six men in Badamalhara town of Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district, police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, a case of murder has been registered against six persons and a manhunt has been launched to nab them.
Motorcycle-borne assailants fired at Indra Pratap Singh Parmar (45), the party president of Ghuvara block, near a hotel in Badamalhara town and fled the scene, Chattarpur's city superintendent of police (CSP) Lokendra Singh said.
Locals immediately rushed Parmar to a hospital where doctors declared him dead, the official said.
The police suspect that "an old enmity" might be the reason for the attack and the matter will be probed further, it was stated. Angered by the incident, the deceased Congress leader's supporters and family members ransacked the hospital and created a ruckus.
The shooting was captured in the CCTV camera of the hotel and the footage is being examined, the CSP said.
After an autopsy on Wednesday the victim's body was sent to Pathia village under police protection, he said, adding that there is heavy police deployment in Badamalhara in view of the ruckus and tension in the area, following the incident.
Following a probe, a case of murder was registered against the accused Hakim Singh, Mor Pal Singh, Hardev Singh, Imrat Lodhi, Ramkripal Lodhi and Haricharan Lodhi, the district's superintendent of police (SP) Sachin Sharma said.
A 15-member police team has been constituted to nab the assailants and a reward of Rs 10,000 has also been announced for information leading to the arrest of the accused persons, the SP said.
Meanwhile, state Congress president Kamal Nath has constituted a six-member committee comprising former ministers and MLAs to probe the incident and submit its report to the party.
Members of the committee include former ministers Harsh Yadav, Brajendra Singh Rathore, Yadvendra Singh and MLAs Alok Chaturvedi, Neeraj Dixit and Viram Singh Natiraja, a party statement 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.
