Muslim techie washed away in cauvery while taking selfie; Hindu friend sacrifices his life in rescue
Bengaluru, July 16: In spite of warnings from the concerned authorities against taking selfies in dangerous spots, selfie mania claimed two precious lives in the state on Sunday. While taking selfies, two software engineers from Bengaluru swept away in Cauvery river at Mekedatu in Ramanagara district on Sunday.
The deceased have been identified as Sameer Rahman (29) and Bhavani Shankar (29) of Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru. They hailed from Bidar. As it was holiday, both of them along with two other friends- Amit and Srikanth- went to Sangama at Mekedatu on two motor bikes. While taking a selfie, Sameer slipped and fell into the water at around 11.30 am. Suddenly, in a bid to save his friend Sameer, Bhavani Shankar plunged into the water. But he also drowned. Both of them washed away in the river and still their bodies were not yet traced.
The police who were informed by the local people rushed to the spot. Both police and fire brigade and emergency service started their search operation. But they have failed to trace the bodies on Sunday as it was dusk and called off their search operation. The search operation was resumed on Monday morning with the help of the locals. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was also summoned to take up search operation in the river.
Meanwhile, police sources said that following the heavy inflow into the KRS dam, the authorities have opened 12 gates to release the water to the river from the reservoir. This has increased water level in the river suddenly by 60-70 ft than usual level, sources added.
Sathanur police have informed the families of the victims about the incident.
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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.
