Four Indians killed in multi-vehicle crash in US; they had connected through carpooling app
Texas: Four Indians, who were carpooling and heading to Bentonville, tragically lost their lives when their SUV burst into flames after a multi-vehicle collision in United States’ Texas. The accident occurred on August 30, 2024, when a speeding truck rammed into their SUV. The bodies of the victims were charred.
The victims have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati and Farooq Shaik from Hyderabad, Lokesh Palacharla of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, and Darshini Vasudevan from Tamil Nadu.
Mastan Vali, Farooq Shaik’s father, said that his son had been living in the US for three years and had recently completed his M.S. course, as reported by NDTV. He added that his daughter lives there and is handling the situation.
Aryan’s family had recently attended his convocation at the University of Texas in Dallas. Despite their wishes for him to return home soon, Aryan intended to work in the US for a while longer. He and Farooq were on their way to Bentonville after visiting a cousin in Dallas. Lokesh was heading to Bentonville to see his wife, and Darshini was travelling to visit her uncle while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Texas.
The families are awaiting confirmation from US authorities, who are conducting DNA fingerprinting and examining dental and bone remains to identify the victims. “DNA fingerprinting will be done to identify the bodies, and the samples will be matched with the parents,” a local authority stated.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
