Kolkata: Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP MLA from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, has come under severe criticism after he publicly shared the full address of two Kashmiri residents living in South 24 Parganas, raising serious concerns over their safety and privacy.
In a tweet posted from his official handle, Adhikari claimed that two Kashmiri individuals were residing at a flat in Niranjan Apartment on K.M. Roy Chowdhury Road, Baruipur, and alleged that they had installed a "NanoBeam 2AC" wireless network bridge on their rooftop—hinting at possible suspicious activity. He tagged the West Bengal Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), asking them to investigate.
However, soon after the tweet gained attention, several fact-checkers and social media users pointed out that the device shown in the image was not a NanoBeam 2AC as claimed. Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, clarified that the image was of a Jio Fiber Plus C6 outdoor device, commonly used for broadband internet connectivity, and not a high-performance wireless bridge as Adhikari alleged.
The post drew strong criticism from citizens, activists, and journalists, who questioned the motive behind publicly revealing the home address of civilians, particularly Kashmiri Muslims, at a time when communal sentiments are high following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Many expressed concern that the tweet, which could easily be seen as an attempt to fuel suspicion and hatred, might have endangered the lives of the residents by potentially exposing them to mob violence or harassment. Given the recent rise in hate rhetoric against Kashmiri citizens after the Pahalgam incident, this public doxxing has been widely condemned as irresponsible and dangerous.
“Sharing a person’s home address—especially from a position of power and at a time when Kashmiri identity is being criminalised in many narratives—is reckless. This could have resulted in violence or harassment, and for what? Over a wrongly identified internet device?” said a Kolkata-based rights activist.
Despite mounting pressure, Adhikari has not taken down the tweet as of Thursday evening. The West Bengal Police has not issued an official statement yet on whether any action will be taken regarding the post or the claims made in it.
A local contact of mine has shared information with me that two Kashmiri individuals are currently residing at:-
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) April 24, 2025
Flat No - 1F, Block - 2
Niranjan Apartment
K. M. Roy Chowdhury Road
Beside Rash Math,
P.O. & PS - Baruipur, Pin Code - 700144
They have installed a NanoBeam 2AC… pic.twitter.com/fx4pF0AbJJ
Hello dosto, Ye hai JIO fibre Plus ka C6 outdoor device.... pic.twitter.com/ZwpCGZxg8b
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 24, 2025
You need electric shock therapy….you’re NOT fit to be in Mainstream Politics!
— 𝐑𝐢𝐣𝐮 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚 (@DrRijuDutta_TMC) April 24, 2025
It’s JIO fibre Plus C6 outdoor device....!!
P.S. it’s a Reliance product if Mr. Ambani finds out he’ll slap you with a chappal ! pic.twitter.com/9qHdghX3mr
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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.
