Karnataka govt to probe factors for repeated attacks on young women: Home Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): With opposition BJP targeting the Congress government in Karnataka alleging deterioration of law and order situation, following the murder of a young woman in Hubballi, Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said he was reviewing lapses on part of the police and other factors that may have led to such repeated incidents.
Twenty-year-old Anjali Ambiger was allegedly murdered by a 22-year-old Girish Sawanth in Hubballi on Wednesday after she allegedly rejected his marriage proposal, close on the heels of the student Neha Hiremath killing at her college campus in the same city on April 18.
"I'm reviewing to find if there are any lapses on part of the officials or if there are any other factors or reasons. As repeatedly such incidents are taking place, we need to find what is the factor," Parameshwara told reporters here.
The Minister said he is sending an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) to Hubballi to look into the incident and submit a report and, if possible, he will also be visiting there.
BJP on Thursday came down heavily on the government over the murder of Anjali, accusing it of having failed in maintaining the law and order situation, and losing its grip on the administration.
The opposition party even demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drop Parameshwara from the Cabinet, alleging that he has miserably failed to handle law and order situation in the state.
Meanwhile, police have arrested the accused Girish Sawanth, and Parameshwara said strict punishment will be ensured in accordance with law.
"There is no mercy in such murder cases. An inspector has been suspended following reports about lapse on part of the police. Immediately police had to take action, but as there were lapses, suspension was done. Further legal actions will follow," he said.
The victim's family alleged that they had approached the police and complained to them that the accused had threatened Anjali of meeting the same fate as that of 23-year-old Neha Hiremath, who was stabbed to death by her former classmate.
According to his information, Parameshwara said, there was no written complaint, but the family had reportedly informed the police about the threat.
"That's the reason we have suspended the inspector and there will be an inquiry on this, and if there were lapses on part of the police, action will be taken against the officials," he said.
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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.
