Groups clash during Dasara procession in Bantwal; three youth stabbed by rivals
Bantwal: In a fight between two groups amid the festival celebrations being held in Melkar on Thursday night, three young men from Bolangadi, Devadas, Sandeep and Shankar, were stabbed by members of the rival group.
The other members of the group that was participating in the Sharadotsava in Panemangalore have filed a complaint with the Bantwal Town Police, accusing the group led by Shodhan of Bolangadi, Yatish of Kalladka and Chethan, Prasanna, Pradeep and Prakash of Melkar of fighting with them and also stabbing the injured trio.
The rivals are learned to have been a part of a larger group of youngsters who used to participate in the Dasara processions by stepping in as 'tiger dancers' till a few years ago, but had split into two separate groups, following a clash among the members. On Wednesday too, the Sharada idol immersion procession witnessed a clash between the groups.
On Thursday night, however, the fight intensified, with the members of one group attacking their rivals, who were clearing the Dasara banners at Melkar Junction. The group is learned to have escaped from the spot after stabbing their rivals. The injured youth are being treated at a private hospital in Mangaluru.
The officers of the Bantwal Town Police Station visited the Melkar Junction where the clash occurred, for investigation of the incident.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
