EC suspends poll officials in Karnataka amid allegations of voter fraud
New Delhi, Nov 25: The Election Commission on Friday directed officials for a review of the deletions and additions in the electoral rolls of three Assembly seats in Karnataka and ordered the suspension of two additional district election officials after allegations of "electoral fraud" in the state.
The poll authority also directed the chief electoral officer to share a list of all deletions and additions made to the electoral rolls of the Shivajinagar, Chickpet and Mahadevapura Assembly seats after January 1, 2022 with all the recognised political parties so as to enable them to file claims and objections.
The Election Commission directives came a day after the Congress petitioned the poll authority, seeking a detailed investigation into the "voter information theft fraud" in Karnataka.
The Congress had alleged that 27 lakh names were deleted and 11 lakh voters added to the voters' lists of the three Assembly constituencies, claiming that the employees of a private company had collected voters' data, impersonating as government officials.
The commission also appointed officers from outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), under which the three Assembly seats fall, to oversee the exercise of ensuring the purity of the electoral rolls.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
