The digital video recorder (DVR) which was stolen from an election strongroom at Umrer, a sub-divisional headquarters in Nagpur district, after the polling in Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency, was again mysteriously found today, official sources said.
The Lok Sabha candidate, of Congress, Kishore Gajbhiye had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard and blamed the Returning Officer of Nagpur district for the mess and described it as a deliberate attempt of the district authorities to bail out the immediae rival Shiv Sena candidate Krupal Tumane.
A temporary strongroom was set up by the authorities at Umrer in Nagpur rural, about 40 kms near here. The Umrer Assembly segment is part of Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency where voting took place on April 11. The DVR was found today morning which was placed on a chair at staircase from where it was allegedly stolen between April 13 and 15.
The Election Commission of India taking cognisance of the complaint of Congress candidate Kishor Gajbhiye had appointed a special observer with the task to probe the missing DVR, monitors issue. This was after Gajbhiye accompanied by Congress stalwarts Ahmed Patel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Jairam Ramesh had met the Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi and top officials to seek a thorough probe into the matter.
Taking a strong exception over the issue, Nana Patole of Congress who is pitted against the Union Minister for Transport and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari of BJP from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency alleged that there were lot of irregularities in the election process in Nagpur district. Patole himself had lodged as many as 32 complaints with the election commission and the returning officer. Patole also demanded the CCTV footage of all polling booths of the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency to verify that whether there was free and fair elections in the district. There are 2200 polling booths in the constituency.
The Congress party has taken an official stand that DVR could be tampered. Gajbhiye has now demanded that the recovered DVR be now sent for tests at digital forensic laboratory at Hyderabad or Bhopal to ascertain if there was any tampering with it.
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