Dalit man assaulted for drinking water from handpump near temple in UP, 7 booked
Bhadohi (UP), Oct 19: A Dalit man was allegedly beaten by seven people for drinking water from a handpump near a temple, police said on Saturday.
The victim was identified as Abhishek Gautam (24), police said.
The incident occurred on July 26. As per the police complaint, the assailants used casteist slurs and physically assaulted Gautam, pressing his neck with their feet "until his tongue protruded". They also threatened to harm him and his family if he reported the incident to the police, Superintendent of Police Meenakshi Katyayan said.
Gautam, a BA student and kabaddi player, had been targeted by the group for frequenting the public ground near the temple. They had previously warned him against using the hand pump or sitting on the temple, as per the complaint.
Despite filing a complaint with the police, Gautam alleged that no action was taken. He subsequently filed a petition in a special court here, seeking justice.
The court on Thursday ordered the registration of a case against the seven accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The accused are currently absconding.
"As per the directions of the court, the FIR was registered on October 17 itself. The investigation of the case has been assigned to Circle Officer Prabhat Rai," said the SP.
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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.
