Seven drown in Uttar Pradesh while bathing after Holi celebrations
Lucknow: Seven people drowned in Uttar Pradesh -- five in Deoria district and two in Fatehpur -- while bathing after Holi celebrations on Monday, officials said.
According to a police spokesperson, three people -- Amit Pandey (15), Krishna (20) and Kush Yadav (23) -- drowned while bathing in the Chhoti Gandak river in Salempur Kotwali and Bhatni police station areas of Deoria district.
Anurag (22) drowned in the Saryu river in the Barhaj police station area and 30-year-old Anil Prasad in a pond in the district, the police spokesperson said.
In Fatehpur, two people drowned and another went missing while bathing in the Ganga river, police said.
The incident took place around 3.30 pm in Bhitaura village, Hussainganj Station House Officer (SHO) Ranveer Bahadur Singh said.
He said Alok Gupta (21), Ritik Umrav (16), Amit Kumar (18) and Raghav (20) -- all residents of Fatehpur -- had gone to take a bath. They started drowning, the SHO said.
The boatmen, after hearing the cries, took out Alok, Ritik and Amit from the water, and took them to a hospital. Alok and Ritik were declared dead, while the condition of Amit is serious, police said.
The SHO said Raghav is missing and efforts are on to trace him. He added that the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
On Sunday, two children -- Mayank (13) and Vikki (8) -- died due to drowning in Azamgarh district.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
