Repolling underway at one polling booth in Chamarajanagar LS segment in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Repolling is underway at one polling station in Indiganatha village of Hanur, which falls under Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka on Monday, amid elaborate security arrangements.
Polling began at 7 am and will end by 6 pm.
The repolling was ordered by the Election Commission following reports that electronic voting machines were damaged at the polling booth in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district on April 26 during a clash between two groups of people over whether to vote or not in the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the district administration, the villagers had earlier decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development. However, after assurances and efforts by the local officials, polling was underway.
As per preliminary information, one of the groups wanted to vote while the other was keen to boycott, leading to clashes between them during which they damaged EVMs, and also indulged in stone-pelting, the officials said.
In a letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the EC had stated that based on the reports submitted by the Returning Officer and General Observer for Chamrajnagar Constituency and after taking all material circumstances into account, it declared that polling held at polling station number 146 under the Hanur Assembly Constituency on Friday was void.
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Meerut youth allegedly assaulted, family claims forced chanting of Jai Shri Ram slogans
Meerut :A young man from Sofipur village, Meerut, was reportedly assaulted, stripped, and coerced to chant religious slogans, according to allegations made by his family on Monday. The incident occurred on Saturday evening as the victim, Gulfam, was returning home from practice at a private shooting range in Mangal Pandey Nagar, said his father, Aftab.
Aftab claimed that Gulfam was intercepted by three individuals who took him to Victoria Park. There, the assailants allegedly beat him, stripped him, and demanded that he chant "Jai Shri Ram." Gulfam’s family also alleged that the attackers stole his mobile phone and left him unconscious at the scene.
However, local police have rejected the claims of stripping and forced chanting, suggesting that the incident appears to be linked to personal enmity. "There is no mention of any forced chanting in the FIR. It seems to be a case of enmity between local youths," stated Mahavir Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Civil Lines Police Station.
Based on Aftab’s complaint, an FIR was filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 351(2) for criminal intimidation, 352 for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, and 324 for mischief. Civil Lines Circle Officer, Abhishek Tiwari, confirmed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the suspects involved.
Gulfam, who is preparing for a national shooting competition, is currently undergoing medical treatment at a private hospital. His family continues to maintain that the attack was religiously motivated, though the authorities have yet to substantiate these specific claims.
