EC orders probe into voting by foreigners in TN polls, 10 held in Chennai
Chennai (PTI): The Election Commission has ordered a probe into the allegations of foreign nationals "deceitfully" voting in the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, an official said on Saturday.
The EC's action follows a report submitted by the police recently after they arrested ten foreign nationals who attempted to board a flight. The airport officials became suspicious when they noticed indelible ink on their index fingers and alerted the police.
The Chennai police said ten foreign nationals were arrested in nine cases for allegedly casting votes in the Tamil Nadu 2026 Assembly polls. They were detained at the Chennai and Madurai airports. Police enquiry revealed that these nationals were from Sri Lanka, the UK and Canada.
"They had used fraudulent Indian ID documents to cast the votes. The indelible ink was noticed on their fingers when they attempted to fly out," the police official said.
The police Central Crime Branch registered cases and is probing, the official said and added that as per EC rules, an overseas elector must be a citizen of India who has not acquired citizenship in any other country. Those who have renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting.
Non-Resident Indians can register to vote under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act and they are required to produce their original Indian passport at the polling booth, he added.
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FIR filed against TMC's Abhishek over 'inflammatory' remarks during Bengal polls
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal Police on Saturday said they have registered an FIR against Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee for allegedly making inflammatory statements during the recently concluded assembly elections.
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by Social activist Rajib Sarkar at Baguiati Police Station in North 24 Parganas district on May 5, a day after the assembly election results were declared, alleging that the TMC national general secretary made provocative comments on post-poll violence and the vote counting process, a senior officer said.
The complainant also claimed that Banerjee's inflammatory comments were linked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said.
"Following due procedure after the filing of the complaint, an FIR was formally registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate on May 15," the officer said.
The case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Representation of the People Act, he said.
The complainant accused Banerjee of delivering inflammatory speeches during several election-related programmes between April 27 and May 3.
“The complainant alleged that certain remarks made during public meetings were provocative in nature and had the potential to disturb public order and communal harmony. The contents are being examined as part of the investigation,” the police officer added.
