Delay in closing booth in Charmady: Suspicious Congress activists stop officers
cops resort to lathi charge to disperse crowd
Belthangady: Delay in completion of the work of booth-level officers at a polling booth in Charmady late Wednesday night gave rise to tension in the area, resulting in the police lathi charging to disperse the crowd, some of whom suspected the reasons for the officers’ delay.
The polling process was delayed at the Charmady booth and continued till around 7.20 pm. The officers, however, did not close the work past 10.30 pm.
In addition to the delay at one booth, the EVMs were not cleared from any of the booths in Charmady Panchayat limits. There was also a power cut in the area.
Expressing their suspicion regarding the reason for the delay by the officials and for the power cut, Congress activists, who gathered outside the booth in hundreds, raised a hue. Alleging that illegal activities related to the election process were being carried out in the area, the activists blocked the officials’ vehicles, declaring that they would not let the officials leave the booths without giving a satisfactory explanation.
The BJP activists, on learning of the incident, arrived at the spot, which gave rise to further tension.
The Special Police Force team, which came there, dispersed the crowd by lathi charging the activists.
Congress candidate Rakshit Shivaram and other leaders of the party came to the booth area, after which, special travel facilities were provided to the booth officials and the police staff members to travel to Ujire.
The officials said that the delay in closure of the booth was cause by the problems they had in packing the EVMs.
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Chandrashekhar Swamiji apologises for remark on denying voting rights to Muslims
"If my statement has upset our Muslim brothers, I deeply regret it."
Bengaluru: Kumara Chandrashekharanath Swamiji, head of the Vishva Okkaliga Mahasansthana Mutt, has expressed regret over his controversial statement suggesting that "Muslims should be denied voting rights."
In a press release, Swamiji clarified, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
He further added, "Okkaligas are inherently tolerant of all religions. We have always treated people of every faith equally. Our Mutt maintains cordial relations with Muslims, and they frequently visit us. Similarly, we attend their weddings and other joyous occasions. Hence, there is no intolerance towards this community." Swamiji appealed to the public to disregard the controversy surrounding his remark.
The controversial statement was made during a farmers' rally, ‘Raita Gharjana,’ organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Karnataka Pradesh, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Swamiji had said, "A law should be enacted to deny voting rights to the Muslim community, and the Wakf Board should be abolished."
The remark drew widespread criticism from political leaders and the public alike. Following the backlash, Swamiji issued his apology, stating, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
