70 Youth Congress protesters detained in Bengaluru during ‘vote chori’ march
Bengaluru (PTI): Seventy people, including Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Uday Bhanu Chib, were taken into preventive custody by the police on Saturday when they attempted to march towards the office of the Election Commission here, demanding accountability over alleged “vote chori” and electoral irregularities.
Raising anti-BJP slogans — “Down, down BJP!” and “Vote chor gaddi chhodd!” — the members of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) staged a protest at Freedom Park here alleging large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft) in elections across various states.
The demonstration comes a day after the Congress alleged “vote chori on a gigantic scale” in the Bihar assembly elections, with Rahul Gandhi vowing an in-depth review of the outcome and saying “we could not achieve victory in such an election that was not fair from the very beginning.”
The protest at Freedom Park here was led by Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Chib, IYC In-charge Manish Sharma, KPYCC President Manjunath Gowda, and saw the participation of several senior Congress leaders from Karnataka, including Labour Minister Santosh Lad and Rajya Sabha MP G C Chandrashekhar.
Speaking to reporters later, Minister Lad said, “Just because they wanted to win elections, they gave Rs 10,000 each to one and a half crore women in Bihar. Apart from that, 65 lakh names have been deleted from the SIR voter list and 20 lakh votes have been added. Today the Prime Minister talks so much about technology and satellites, but the Election Commission has not even provided a digital format of the voter list. This clearly shows they want to commit fraud and misuse power, and because of this they have come to power.”
He alleged that in Maharashtra, in just five to six months after the Lok Sabha polls, the voter list increased by 45 lakh. “If 45 lakh voters can be added in six months, then how many will be added in five years? In Bihar, 65 lakh votes were reduced.”
“It shows a clear misuse of power. This increase in vote share has been happening ever since Gyanesh Kumar took charge as the Election Commissioner,” he claimed.
The protesters, who were marching to the Office of the Election Commission in Bengaluru to submit a memorandum seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and steps to ensure transparency in the electoral system, were taken into preventive custody by the police.
“Seventy protesters were taken into preventive custody as they attempted to march towards the office of the Election Commission here. They were taken in police vans. However, they will be released soon,” a senior police officer said.
After being detained by the police, one of the protesters said, “We will hold agitations across the country. In connivance with the Election Commission, BJP is forming governments. This is not acceptable. The Election Commissioner has become a dalal of the BJP. We will not allow the weakening of the country’s democracy.”
The Congress party has recently alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) in the Haryana assembly polls 2024, Karnataka and Maharashtra elections.
On Friday, Gandhi said the Congress and the INDIA bloc will conduct an in-depth review of the poll results and make more effective efforts to save democracy.
The ruling NDA decimated the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Bihar to retain power, reaffirming Prime Minister Modi's popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's enduring appeal and dealing a body blow to the Congress and ally RJD.
Bihar polls were held over two phases on November 6 and 11.
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Woman software employee murdered by ex-husband in Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): A 29-year-old woman software employee was allegedly killed by her former husband at her house here on Wednesday, police said.
The victim's husband in a complaint stated that his wife was three months pregnant. However, police said it was not confirmed so far as the post-mortem report is awaited.
The accused, in his 30s, who worked as a software employee in Canada earlier, barged into the victim's residence and after noticing her in a room locked it from inside and allegedly stabbed her multiple times on her head with a knife resulting in her instant death.
The woman's mother-in-law was in the verandah of the house at the time of the incident.
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After being informed by her family members and neighbours, police reached the spot and found that the accused had poured petrol in the room, which he brought with him in a can, and had locked himself in the washroom.
He threatened to set off fire in the room with a lighter he was carrying and after being convinced by the police officials he came out of the washroom and was taken into custody, a police official said.
The couple got married in 2022 and mutually divorced in 2024. She had a second marriage in April 2025, police said.
Based on preliminary investigation, police said the accused bore grudge against his ex-wife as she filed domestic violence case against him.
Police said after their marriage in India, the accused went to Canada, and the deceased later joined him there.
"Some differences arose between the couple and after staying with him for five days she later returned to India and subsequently filed domestic violence case against him in Maharashtra," they said.
The accused came to India from Canada in March 2025 following the death of his mother, a police official said.
A Look-out Circular was issued against him because of the case and his passport was suspended and he was unable to go back to Canada since then and was presently residing in his native place in Peddapalli district of Telangana, without any work.
The accused felt that he and his family faced mental suffering due to the case. He also felt that his mother's death was due to the mental agony caused by the estranged wife, police said.
The accused developed a grudge against her and decided to eliminate her, police said. He managed to locate her residential address through her social media account and came to Hyderabad two months ago and stayed in a hostel.
He also "recceed" the victim’s apartment recently.
As per his plan, he came to the apartment on Wednesday with a bag containing two knives, a drilling machine, a can containing five-liter petrol among other items.
CCTV footage broadcast by local TV channels showed the man carrying a bag and walking in the corridor of the apartment.
