Indian woman who went to Pakistan to marry Facebook friend returns to country
Amritsar: Anju, an Indian mother of two children who travelled to Pakistan to marry her Facebook friend, returned to India through the Wagah-Attari border on Wednesday, officials said.
Anju alias Fatima, 34, had travelled to a remote village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan to marry her Facebook friend Nasrullah, leaving her children in India.
Her 29-year-old Pakistani husband accompanied her up to the Wagah border.
On reaching India, she was not allowed to interact with the media and straightway went to the airport to catch a flight to Delhi.
At the Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport here, Anju was spotted wearing a burqa.
She told the media there, ''I am here in India to meet my Indian family. I came back to India of my own volition....'' Anju had travelled to Pakistan via the Wagah-Attari border in July with a visa, converted to Islam, changed her name to Fatima after getting married to Nasrullah, whom she had befriended on Facebook four years ago.
Anju's Indian husband Arvind had said that she left home on the pretext of going to Jaipur but later the family came to know that she was in Pakistan. Anju, along with her Indian husband, used to live in the Bhiwadi area of Rajasthan.
She hails from Kailor village in Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, Bhiwadi's Additional Superintendent of Police Dilip Saini said they had no information about the return of Anju.
Police sources said that Arvind no longer resides in Bhiwadi and has relocated to somewhere with their children.
#WATCH | Anju, who had travelled to Pakistan in July, arrived at the Delhi airport. pic.twitter.com/ssg3IzDWYw
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2023
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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.
