Large number of people pay last respects to slain Capt Pranjal in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): A large number of people paid their last respects to Captain M V Pranjal, who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, amid poignant scenes.
His mortal remains were flown to Bengaluru on Friday night, and later taken to his parents' home in Anekal taluk near here.
Mourners filed past the body of Capt Pranjal and paid tributes.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka and Bangalore Rural MP D K Suresh were among those who paid homage to the departed soul and offered condolences to the bereaved family today
After a wreath-laying ceremony, Pranjal was accorded a guard of honour by the Army and the state government. His mortal remains will be taken in a procession to a crematorium in Kudlu Gate for the last rites.
The 29-year-old from 63 Rashtriya Rifles, who lost his life during an exchange of fire with terrorists in the Rajouri sector on Wednesday, is survived by wife and parents.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paid their last respects at HAL Airport, after his remains landed here last night.
Siddaramaiah, expressing grief, announced Rs 50 lakh compensation to the martyr's family.
The opposition BJP has postponed its protest against the state government over the Cabinet decision to withdraw consent for a CBI probe against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, in view of last rites of the martyred soldier today.
Son of M Venkatesh, retired Managing Director of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, Pranjal did his schooling at Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada district.
After he completed his engineering and academic mentoring programme, he joined the National Defence Academy and enlisted into the Army.
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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.
