JNU Poll Results Expected Tomorrow After Attempt To Snatch Ballot Boxes
New Delhi, Sept 15: The counting of votes for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls resumed on Saturday evening after being suspended for around 14 hours.
The counting had been suspended early morning after an attack on the counting centre allegedly by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP who rejected the charge and claimed that the exercise was started without informing them. Results are expected to be out on Sunday afternoon, delayed by the hold-up.
In a statement, the JNU Election Committee had said it suspended the counting temporarily but did not name the party which attacked the counting centre. It firmly denied allegations that it did not make the necessary announcements before starting the counting.
"The counting process, which began at 10 pm on September 14, has been suspended due to the forced entry into the counting venue, and attempts to snatch sealed ballot boxes and papers," a statement from the JNU Election Committee read.
In a separate statement, a group of JNU's Left-wing student organisations said, "Around 4:00 am, ABVP (members) broke the glasses of the School of International Studies building. Election Committee stopped the counting indefinitely." The Left bloc alleged that the protesters also intimidated Left party members.
Shehla Rashid, former union vice president, expressed outrage over the incident. "Shocked! Never seen something like this in JNU. ABVP goons broke glass doors and forcibly tried to enter the #JNUSU_Election2018 counting venue last night. They attacked the members of Election Committee and tried to snatch ballot boxes. Counting suspended," she tweeted.
The right-wing ABVP, linked to the ruling BJP, denied the Left bloc's claim. Vijay Kumar, ABVP president of JNU, said the counting process was initiated only in front of rival party members without informing their polling agent. "We protested peacefully as the EC (Election Committee) is biased towards the Left. We did not create any ruckus," he said.
Mr Kumar said his organisation could move the Delhi High Court for justice.
A joint statement from the All JNU Organisations supported the Left bloc's version, and even accused the ABVP of attacking poll panel members. "Late night on Friday, the EC made announcements calling for candidates to send their counting agents for central panel votes from the combined schools (science schools and smaller schools). ABVP did not send counting agents even after the last call was made. Long after the sealed ballot boxes were opened and counting began, ABVP resorted to violence demanding that its agents be allowed in," it said.
The voter turnout in the election was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes.
(With inputs from PTI)
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
