Clicking photographs with Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and posting them on facebook proved costly for a sector magistrate and his son in Varanasi as district administration has lodged a case against father-son duo at Cantonment police station. The official’s son had uploaded the pictures with a comment — ‘Abki baar, Modi Sarkar’.
The case was registered after supporters of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) complained to Election Commission alleging tampering with EVMs. Pictures on facebook of these EVMs were also provided as proof. PM designate Narendra Modi had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal from Varanasi.
Meanwhile, Varanasi administration claimed that the EVMs were not used in the polling and were given to the sector magistrate as additional ones. But, a case has been registered under sections of Peoples’ representation act 129 (1) 134 (1) 136 (2).
As per reports, Awadesh Kumar Srivastava, a divisonal audit officer in Rural Engineering Department (RED) was deputed as sector magistrate for Varanasi Lok Sabha polls. A day before polling on May 11, Srivastava was handed over two additional EVMs for replacement if any EVM in his area developed snag.
Srivastava took these EVMs to his home where his son Gaurav clicked pictures of himself and Srivastava with those EVMs. Later, he uploaded these pictures on facebook with a comment―Abki Bar Modi Sarkar. Several other comments followed but the picture came in notice of supporters of AAP and other parties. It was alleged that Srivastava had taken the EVMs to his house for tampering.
Gaurav, who is an engineering student in Noida, also added further fuel to the controversy with allegations that he was indulging in some setting with EVMs in support of BJP.
The pictures after getting viral also reached Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow and were shown to the senior SP leaders.
Varanasi DM Pranjal Yadav ordered an inquiry on the complaint of AAP supporters sent to EC through email.
Deputy District Election Officer, A K Awasthi, who is additional district magistrate in Varanasi, conducted a preliminary inquiry in which Srivastava accepted that he took the EVMs to his home.
“After his acceptance, it was confirmed that he was on fault and on the basis of the findings I have lodged a FIR against him and his son. Both the EVMs have been sealed and handed over to the police,” Awasthi told The Indian Express.
Awasthi also informed that now a detailed investigation will be conducted and a team of experts from EC will check whether the EVMs had been tampered. “These EVMs were additional ones handed over to Srivastava and were not used in the polling. But, required examination will be done,” added Awasthi.
Local police has summoned both Srivastava and his son Gaurav to Cantonment police station for questioning and getting their statement recorded on Friday.