NHRC issues notice to Karnataka govt on Bengaluru electrocution case, seeks detailed report
Bengaluru (PTI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday said it has issued notice to the Government of Karnataka over the death of a woman and her child due to electrocution on a footpath in Bengaluru.
It has sought a detailed report in the matter within six weeks.
According to the police, 23-year-old Soundarya, who was walking home with her baby in her arms after arriving from Tamil Nadu, died of burn injuries after she accidentally stepped on a live electric wire lying unattended on the pavement.
The NHRC said in a release it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights, which is a matter of concern. "The reported incident, apparently, indicates the negligence of the electricity department of Bengaluru".
Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Karnataka, calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks.
The report should include the status of the FIR, action taken against the officials responsible for the lapses and compensation, if any, granted to the next of kin of the deceased, it added.
The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has suspended five of its officials for "dereliction of duties" and issued show-cause notice to two senior officers after the woman and her daughter died due to electrocution here, officials had said on Monday.
Taking serious note of Sunday's incident at Kadugodi sub-division, the state-owned BESCOM said it took action against the officials, based on a preliminary enquiry.
The Five BESCOM officials who have now been suspended were arrested in connection with the incident, police 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.
