Voter data manipulation likely beyond Aland, SIT probe reveals; BJP leaders under scanner
Bengaluru: The bid to fraudulently delete names from voters’ lists ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections may not have been confined to the Aland constituency. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the State police probing the case has reportedly found that a data centre allegedly used to make illegal online applications for deletion of voters’ names may have also been used to “manipulate” electoral rolls in at least two other seats in Kalaburagi district.
According to officials familiar with the investigation, several BJP leaders from the Kalaburagi region are suspected of having approached the data centre to make online applications for voter deletions. “An agreement was signed for changes to voter lists on behalf of a candidate from another constituency in the Kalaburagi region with the data centre,” The Indian Express quoted its source as saying.
Preliminary findings indicate that in one constituency in Gulbarga city, as many as 35,000 names, primarily belonging to minority communities were targeted. Funds for the operation were allegedly routed through an accountant in Kalaburagi, whose laptop has been seized by the SIT.
According to reports, staff at the Kalaburagi data centre were paid Rs 80 per online application. The centre was being operated by a local resident, Mohammed Ashfaq, and his associate, Md Akram. Both were questioned last year; Ashfaq later moved to Dubai. Three data entry operators linked to the operation have also been interrogated.
While SIT officials claim they have gathered key evidence to prosecute those involved in the Aland case, their current mandate does not extend to investigating similar manipulation in other constituencies.
The voter deletion controversy in Aland gained national attention after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited it as an example of “vote chori.” Congress minister Priyank Kharge said the investigation has confirmed their allegations. “All evidence now points to foul play by BJP leaders and their associates. Every person involved in this ‘vote theft’ will face legal action,” Kharge said.
BJP leader Chandrakanth Patil, who lost narrowly from Gulbarga North in 2023, denied the allegations. He said local BJP corporators may have worked with the data centre for “legitimate voter list revisions” but denied any wrongdoing by candidates. “It was done legally, for additions or deletions in case of duplication,” Patil said, while alleging that Congress leaders were themselves involved in manipulating minority votes
As part of its probe into the alleged voter list manipulation in Aland, the SIT earlier this year searched properties linked to BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, who lost from Aland in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, as well as those of his sons, Harshanand and Santosh Guttedar, and a chartered accountant associated with them.
“They alleged we burnt documents (ahead of the raids). Everybody cleans their house for Deepavali, and the same was done at mine. It is trash that was burnt,” Guttedar said after the raids.
The alleged fraudulent deletions came to light in early 2023 when Congress candidate B. R. Patil noticed irregularities during the Election Commission’s voter list revision. He claimed that over 6,600 names were targeted for deletion across Aland’s 254 booths, mainly from Congress strongholds.
A subsequent police complaint filed by the Aland Returning Officer confirmed that over 6,000 names had been flagged for deletion through remote applications made without voter consent. Only 24 were found valid after verification.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
