Congress protests 'irregularities' in Assam draft roll after Special Revision
Guwahati (PTI): The Assam unit of the Congress on Tuesday staged a protest against the Election Commission and the BJP government over alleged irregularities found in the draft electoral rolls, published after a Special Revision (SR) of the voter lists.
Assam has registered a 1.35 per cent increase in voters as per the integrated draft electoral roll for the state, published on December 30 after Special Revision was conducted ahead of the Assembly elections.
The Guwahati city committee of Assam Congress organised a sit-in demonstration near the Secretariat complex here.
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"The irregularities in the voter list are being done to help the BJP return to power in Assam. The ECI is working for the BJP only. The vote thieves must step down from power. We condemn CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for attempting to return to power through vote theft," Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) General Secretary Pradyut Bhuyan told reporters.
Although police barricaded and cordoned off the Manavendra Sharma Complex, a building that houses an office of the opposition party, protesters eventually broke through the barricades and came out onto the road.
After shouting slogans and holding the protest for some time, they went inside the complex and concluded the agitation.
Responding to the protest, the CM said, "This is a draft roll, and usually some mistakes remain in the drafts. I don't think there will be any mistake in the final roll. In draft, we see overlapping of names or entering neighbours' names in the same address, but these all are usually rectified in the final list."
The final electoral roll will be published on February 10.
"I don't think there is any controversy. It is a huge task. Entering the names of two crore people is a mammoth job, and we should not doubt the intention of the officers. Let us give the officials a chance, and I believe all the flaws will be corrected in the final list," he added.
The draft roll reflected a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, representing a 1.35 per cent increase from the previous final roll published in January 2025.
A total of 7,86,841 additions and 4,47,196 deletions have taken place from January 6 to December 27 last year.
During the SR process, 4,78,992 deceased electors and 5,23,680 shifted electors were identified. Another 53,619 multiple entries were identified.
The Election Commission, however, said that these names have not yet been deleted. These will only be processed for removal or shifting after formal applications are received during the current claims and objections period.
Claims and objections can be filed from December 27 to January 22, with special campaign dates fixed for January 3-4 and January 10-11.
Assembly elections are likely to be held in March-April in Assam.
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Mass funeral of four brothers leaves UAE community in mourning after fatal road accident
Report: Thufail Muhammad Abudhabi
Dubai: The funeral of four young brothers who died in a tragic road accident near Abu Dhabi drew hundreds of mourners to the Al Qusais cemetery on Tuesday evening, leaving the UAE’s expatriate community in deep shock and grief.
The children Ashaj (14), Ammar (12), Azaam (8) and Ayyash (5) were the sons of Abdul Latheef and Ruksana, natives of Kerala’s Malappuram district. The family was returning to their Dubai residence after attending the Liwa Festival on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi when their car met with a fatal accident early Sunday morning.
Three of the children died on the spot, while Azaam succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening during treatment. The family’s domestic helper, Bushra Fayaz (49), also lost her life in the crash. Her body was repatriated to India on Monday night, and funeral rites were held in Kerala on Tuesday.
Abdul Latheef, who sustained injuries in the accident, arrived at the cemetery from Abu Dhabi in a wheelchair, his hand in a sling, to attend the burial of his sons. Mourners described the scene as one of the most heartbreaking they had ever witnessed.
“I have never seen the mass burial of children from the same family. It was devastating for everyone present,” said a social worker who assisted the family.
The couple’s only daughter, Izza (10), survived the accident with minor injuries and is undergoing treatment. Unaware of the loss of her brothers, she was seen playing on a mobile phone from her hospital bed.
Relatives said informing the parents about the tragedy was handled with extreme care. Abdul Latheef was told late on Sunday night, while Ruksana who had undergone surgery for an injury to her hand was informed only on Tuesday after counsellors were brought in to break the news professionally.
Before the burial, the parents were allowed to see their children one last time. Ruksana was taken by ambulance to the mortuary, while Abdul Latheef obtained special permission for temporary discharge from hospital to attend the funeral. Ruksana remained hospitalised with her daughter.
Though the family holds Ras Al Khaimah visas, special permission was obtained to conduct the burial in Dubai, where the family resides and where most relatives are based. Community members expressed gratitude to the Dubai authorities for facilitating the process.
Abdul Latheef runs a business in Ras Al Khaimah, while Ruksana works as a property consultant in Dubai. All five children were students of Arab Unity School in Dubai, following the British curriculum. The school management issued a circular to parents outlining measures to support students and families affected by the tragedy and advising on how to discuss the loss sensitively with children.
The cause of the accident has not yet been officially confirmed by Abu Dhabi Police. Public discussions have pointed to possible factors such as dense winter fog and overspeeding, though authorities are yet to release findings.
