London 'EVM Hackathon' Row: Election Commission Writes to Delhi Police, Seeks FIR Against Syed Shuja
At the hackathon event, US-based cyber expert Syed Shuja alleged that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
New Delhi, January 22: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Delhi Police, seeking the registration of an FIR against cyber expert Syed Shuja, who organised a press conference in London on Monday to demonstrate how the electronic voting machines (EVMs) used for polls in India "could be hacked".
The Commission, in a late night statement issued yesterday, categorically denied the charges levelled by Shuja. The polling body reiterated that the machines used by it are "unique" and developed exclusively by the state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd & Electronics Corporation of India. The EVMs would stop functioning if any attempts are made to tamper with it, the ECI stated. '2014 Lok Sabha Elections Were Rigged...Gopinath Munde Was Murdered as He Knew About It', Says US-Based Expert Syed Shuja.
In a letter written to the Delhi Police, the Election Commission said an FIR should be registered against Shuja, and a thorough inquiry should be conducted.
"Through media reports, it has come to the notice of the Commission that allegedly one Mr Syed Shuja claimed (at the event in London) that he was part of the EVM design team and he can hack the EVMs used in elections in India," the polling body stated.
At the hackathon event, Shuja alleged that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He claimed that the poll results were manipulated in at least 201 constituencies in favour of the saffron party.
In other startling claims, the cyber expert accused the BJP leadership of murdering senior party leader and the then Union Minister Gopinath Munde -- claiming that he was "about to expose" the party for rigging the polls. As per the official record, Munde had died in a road accident in June 2014, nearly a month after the BJP emerged to power.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2019 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).