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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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
