Faridabad underpass drowning: SUV driver ignored warning, barricades, claim cops
Faridabad (PTI): The driver of a car that got stuck in the flooded Old Faridabad Railway underpass leading to the death of its two occupants had disregarded the barricades put up to prevent people from going to the inundated area, a police official has claimed.
Viraj (26), a cashier at a private bank branch here, and Punyashray Sharma (48), the manager, were returning home in Greater Faridabad from Gurugram on Friday night when their sports utility vehicle (SUV) got stuck in the flooded underpass around 11:50 pm, police said.
The XUV 700 entered the underpass ignoring all warnings and water gushed into the vehicle, they said.
The passersby attempted to help the duo stuck in the car and after a lot of efforts, managed to get them out but Viraj died on the spot, a police official said, adding Sharma was taken to the Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to police, rains throughout Friday inundated the underpass and cars were warned against entering it.
"A barricade was put up at the entrance of the underpass since it was waterlogged. The occupants of the SUV were told by police officers to take a different route," police sub-inspector Rajesh Kumar told PTI Videos.
"But they removed the barricade and attempted to go through the underpass. The car's doors got locked as it got stuck in the water and the duo died by drowning," he said.
A colleague of the two deceased said Viraj and Sharma left the bank at night. "Viraj was driving. He was new in Delhi-NCR and maybe he didn't know that the route was waterlogged," Arjun Singh, the colleague, told PTI Videos.
Inspector Samer Singh, the SHO of the NIT Faridabad police station, said the families of the deceased have been informed about the incident and the bodies will be handed over to their kin after post-mortem.
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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.
