Fake News Alert : DK SP issues clarification over news of Hindu Activist assaulted in Puttur
Puttur: The Dakshina Kannada SP has issued a clarification that there is no truth in several posts on social media that claim that an activist in support of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been attacked by the followers of political leader Arun Kumar Puthila.
A case and a counter-case have been filed at the Puttur Rural Police Station by the parties from Munduru involved in the fight and the officers are investigating the issue. Citizens are requested not to pay heed to false information on any matter, the SP has urged.
Real Incident
The Puttur Rural Police have filed two separate cases in relation to a fight over property in Munduru village of the taluk on Sunday night. The fight resulted in the physical assault of members of rival parties and four people, including two women. The injured are currently being treated in a private hospital in Puttur.
The injured persons are identified as Keshava Naik (35), his mother Jayanthi (55) who belonged to one of the two groups involved and Santhosh BK (29) and his mother Savitha (50), from their rival group.
Santhosh complained to the police that, on Sunday night as he was walking home from his garden after parking his scooter near his garden, the accused Keshava, Dhananjaya and Jagadish stopped him on the way and assaulted him physically.
Hearing the furor, Santhosh's mother Savitha came out of the house but Keshava assaulted and also threatened her. The attackers took away Santhosh's mobile phone and wallet, which had Rs 25,000 cash, he told the police in the complaint filed.
Keshava Naik filed a counter complaint with the police, accusing Santhosh, his wife and a third person Sandeep of starting to pull down the wire fence that had been put up around his garden. When Naik questioned them, they verbally abused him and also gave him a death threat. In addition, Koragappa Naik and his wife Savitha, who had accompanied the trio, also abused him verbally. When Keshava Naik left for the police station with his cousin Dhananjaya to file a complaint against the destruction of the fence around his garden, Koragappa Naik and his son Santhosh attacked him physically, hitting him on the head. Keshava Naik's mother came to the spot on hearing the sound of a fight but was also attacked by Santhosh and his friends, Keshava Naik has said in the police complaint.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police CB Rishyanth, responding to the news of the police complaints by the rival parties, has requested readers not to fall for false information and fake news.
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Ex-PM Devegowda warns opposition of electoral losses if they continue to allege 'vote chori'
New Delhi (PTI): Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda on Monday said the Opposition parties would "suffer" if they continue to raise allegations of "vote chori" and create suspicion in the minds of voters by blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Participating in a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, he criticised the Opposition for making a mockery about the Prime Minister "in the streets and on the public platform".
"This (India) is a very big country. A large country. Congress may be in three states. Remember my friends please, by using the words 'vote chori' you are going to suffer in the coming days. You are not going to win the battle," Devegowda said, referring to the Opposition members.
He asked what the Opposition is going to earn by "blaming Narendra Modi's leadership and creating a suspicion in the mind of the voters" through the claims of "vote chori".
"What has happened to their minds? Let them rectify," Devegowda said.
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The former prime minister said that during his over seven decades of public life, he has never raised such issues of vote theft despite facing defeat in elections.
He also cited a letter written by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding inclusion of "18,000 votes" (voters) in Kerala.
"Why I am telling this (because) during the Nehru period also, there were certain lapses in the electoral system," said Devegowda, who was the prime minister between June 1, 1996 and April 21, 1997.
He said that the Congress party faced defeat in the recent Bihar elections despite raising the issues of mistakes in the electoral rolls.
"What happened after that even after so much review (of voters list). Think (for) yourself! You got six MLAs," the senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said.
Devegowda questioned the Opposition as to why they want to make allegations against the prime minister on the issue of the voters list?
"Election Commission is there. Supreme Court is there. The Election Commission has given direction to all the state units to rectify all these things," he said.
Devegowda said people of the country have full confidence in Narendra Modi's government and it will come back to power after the next Lok Sabha elections as well.
K R Suresh Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party's Rajya Sabha member from Telangana, said that electoral reforms are the backbone for a healthy democracy.
He said a large and diverse nation like Indi needs clean electoral rolls.
Asserting that strict re-verification should not become a mechanism for exclusion, Reddy said no eligible voter should lose their right to vote simply because accessing paperwork is difficult.
He said while the concern definitely is on the voters' exclusion, "we should also be equally concerned about the percentage of voting."
"What is happening in voting today? Once the election ends, the drama begins. The biggest challenge that the Indian democracy has been facing in spite of two major Constitutional amendments has been the anti-defection. Anti-defection is the name of the game today, especially in smaller states, especially where the legislatures are small in number," Reddy said.
The senior BRS leader suggested creation of a parliamentary committee "which would constantly look into the defection" and "ways and means to cutting that".
AIADMK's M Thambidurai raised the issues related to election campaigning.
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"Election campaigns are one of the important election processes. In that, political parties must be given the proper chance to campaign," he said and cited problems faced by his party in Tamil Nadu in this regard.
Thambidurai said political parties were facing hardships in Tamil Nadu to conduct public meetings and to express their views to the public.
YSRCP's Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy stressed on bringing electoral reforms at both the state and national levels.
He also suggested replacing Electronic Voting Machines with paper ballots in all future elections.
"EVM may be efficient but can't be trusted. Paper ballot may not be efficient but can be trusted. You need trust in democracy," Reddy added.
