Bhubaneswar: Police yesterday clamped prohibitory orders in the district headquarter town of Kendrapada in Odisha after post-poll violence in the area, an official said.
The order clamped at the coastal town, about 100km from state capital Bhubaneswar, prohibits the assembly of more than four people, district superintendent of police Rabi Narayan Behera said. “It will remain in force for 24 hours or until the situation normalises,” he said.
Accusing the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of rigging and tampering the electronic voting machines (EVM), the opposition parties Friday staged demonstrations and protests in the town.
A mob also assaulted Block Development Officer S K Pati, after they found 28 pairs of electronic voting machines kept in a government vehicle parked near his residence.
The mob also ransacked his house. Police reached the site and rescued him and shifted him to a local hospital. He suffered injuries on his head.
Behera said a case has been registered against the mob.
A district election official said the EVMs were unused ones and kept for use when any EVM turned dysfunctional. The officer allegedly went to his home for some refreshment while he was on his way to deposit it to the authorities. “We did not find any malafide intention behind it,” he said.
Court warns Kejriwal for skipping hearing
New Delhi: A court here yesterday warned former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and three AAP leaders that “coercive process” would be initiated against them if they fail to appear on the next date of hearing in a defamation case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar Sharma posted the matter for hearing on May 24 and said: “Ensure that everybody is present on the next date (of hearing) otherwise I will initiate coercive process.”
The court was hearing a defamation suit filed against Kejriwal and others by Communications Minister Kapil Sibal’s son Amit, following a May 15, 2013 press conference of Kejriwal in which he alleged conflict of interest, saying Sibal had appeared in the Supreme Court for telecom firm Vodafone while his father was the communications minister.
The court allowed the exemption plea of Kejriwal and three AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia, Prashant Bhushan and Shazia Ilmi, sought on the ground they were busy campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. But, it warned them and told their counsel, Rahul Mehra, that he should ensure that they appear before him on the next date of hearing.
IANs
