Missing SPO joins Hizbul
Srinagar, June 27 : A special police officer (SPO) who went missing from Pampore police station in Jammu and Kashmir with an AK-47 rifle, has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the militant group said.
Hizb spokesman Burhan-u-Din called a local news agency and claimed that Irfan Ahmad Dar had joined the group.
"SPO Irfan Ahmad Dar, a resident of Nehama Kakapora of Pulwama district, who fled with his rifle, has joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen," the spokesman said.
Dar went missing on Tuesday from Pampore police station along with the AK-47 rifle. Police said earlier that a hunt had been launched to trace him.
SPOs are engaged on a fixed monthly packet in Jammu and Kashmir to fight militancy. They are neither trained in handling firearms nor are they issued service weapons.
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Former CEC SY Quraishi flags concerns over variation in Maharashtra voter turnout data
New Delhi: Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi has expressed concern over the significant variation between the provisional and final voter turnout figures in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The state went to polls on November 20, with the voter turnout recorded at 55% by 5 pm. However, the final turnout, announced the following day, rose to 67%, marking the highest figure in nearly three decades.
In an interview with India Today, Quraishi, who served as CEC from 2010 to 2012, termed the discrepancy "worrying." He explained that voter turnout figures are typically recorded in real-time using Form 17A, where voters' attendance is marked by the presiding officer. At the end of the polling day, Form 17C is completed, documenting the total votes cast, with signatures from candidates' agents.
"The data is generated on the same day. How it changes significantly the next day is something I fail to understand," Quraishi said, urging the Election Commission to address the issue. He warned that such discrepancies could erode public trust in the electoral process, stating, "If doubts spread across the country, it could undermine the entire system."
The opposition had raised similar concerns during the May 2024 Lok Sabha elections, pointing out discrepancies of 5-6% between initial and final turnout figures. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking polling station-wise turnout data to be released within 48 hours of each phase.
However, the Supreme Court declined the plea, citing practical challenges, while the Election Commission argued that such disclosures could lead to logistical complications.
The Election Commission is yet to respond to the concerns raised regarding the Maharashtra election data.
