Curfew imposed in Shillong following violent clash
Shillong, June 1: Curfew was imposed in some parts of Meghalaya's state capital Shillong on Friday following a violent clash that broke out between the police and an unruly mob in the city's Motphran area.
"Curfew has been imposed in areas under Lumdiengjri police station and Cantonment Beat House from 4 a.m. this (Friday) morning in view of the breakdown of law and order in Shillong city (Motphran, Mawkhar and adjoining areas) following the violent clash on Thursday night," Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, Peter. S. Dkhar said.
The police used tear gas to disperse the mob but they did not move out of the area.
The clash erupted after a bus conductor was allegedly assaulted by a group of people residing at Them Aew Mawlong (Harijan's lane).
However, the situation turned volatile later in the night when the mob attempted to march towards Them Mawlong and started pelting stones at the police deployed in the area. A journalist and four civilians were injured in the clash.
"We (police) have tightened the security all over the city after miscreants set four vehicles on fire in four different locations at Motphran, Umsohson, Rynjah and Nongmynsong," Davies Marak, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills said
Three stone pelters' were arrested. The police seized petrol bombs and other sharp weapons from their possession.
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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.
