Karnataka doctor who allegedly performed around 900 illegal abortions arrested
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bengaluru Police have arrested a doctor and his lab technician who have allegedly performed around 900 illegal abortions in the last three years, officials said on Monday.
Dr Chandan Ballal and his lab technician Nisar allegedly charged around Rs 30,000 for each abortion which they carried out at a hospital in the district headquarters town of Mysuru. Both of them were taken into custody last week, they said.
The hospital's manager Meena and receptionist Rizma Khan were arrested earlier this month, police said.
Police busted the sex-determination and female foeticide racket last month with the arrest of two accused -- Shivalinge Gowda and Nayan Kumar -- in the district headquarters town of Mandya, near Mysuru, when they were taking a pregnant woman for abortion in a car.
During interrogation, the accused-duo revealed a jaggery unit in Mandya, used as an ultrasound scan centre, from where a police team later seized the scan machine, which did not have valid authorisation or other official documents, a senior police officer said.
"Preliminary enquiry has revealed that in the last three years, the accused doctor along with his accomplices have managed to perform around 900 illegal abortions at the Mysuru Hospital and charged about Rs 30,000 for each abortion," he said.
Further investigation is underway to nab other suspects who have been attached to the racket, he added.
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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.
