Dr Lubna Sarwath
Hyderabad, 22 September 2020
To
The State Election Commissioner
Telangana state
Hyderabad
Subject: 7 December 2018 Election Day – Telangana Assembly. What happened when contesting candidate from Karwan assembly asked the officials at Polling Station-75, Karwan AC, to comply with rule and check veiled women’s photo electoral identity by a women officer as laid down in the election rules?
Reference: Hans India article ‘Congress Leaders Come to Blows During Meeting’.
With reference to above news item, it is mandatory as per election rules, that veiled women’s photo identity should be checked by a female officer so that the choice of women to cast their franchise with a veil as well as the mandatory exercise of establishing the genuinity of any voter by checking with photo electoral rolls as well as the photo identity card and the facial identity is thoroughly undertaken.
As such citizens who believe in free and fair electoral process should not have objections to avail of the facility of women election officials verifying veiled women’s facial identity to comply with the laid down rules.
But contrarily, on 7th December 2018 on election day of Telangana Assembly, the MIM MLA from Karwan Janab Kausar Mohiddin, brazenly violated election rules, and had stormed into the polling booth PS-75 along with more than dozen unauthorized people and warned the officials against any checking, questioned the co-contesting candidate what rules and who are you. further, one of the unauthorized persons warned the candidate against speaking for rules.
Upon continuous petitions from the contested candidate to Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana, from 7 december 2018 onwards, the DGP Telangana office and Hyderabad Police Commissioner office had submitted two inquiry reports to the CEO, Telangana.
Both the reports that are attached herewith for reader’s perusal, are received from CEO Telangana dated 4 April 2019 and 30 March 2019 containing from DGP office and Hyderabad Commissioner office inquiries, respectively.
As per Hyderabad Police Commissioner inquiry report,The illegality and grave violation of unauthorized entry is documented as:
“Sri Kauser Mohiuddin, AIMIM party, a contested candidate and current MLA of Karwan Constituency entered the PS No.75 at about 1030 hrs along with the group of about 10 people.”
Whereas, the threats to election officials, contested candidate upon asking for implementation of verification of veiled women’s photo identity, has been documented as :
“Both Dr. Lubna Sarwath and Sri Kauser Mohiuddin had discussion among themselves and with the presiding officer about the poll process for about a minute and Sri Kauser Mohiuddin and others left the place. One person from the group while leaving had a brief discussion with Dr. Lubna Sarwath on poll process.”
Further, the DGP Inquiry report documented as follows:
‘The petitioner alleged that on 07-12-2018, while she was informing the presiding officer on the discrepancies of non checking of the identity of the veited women, despite the APO is a woman officer, Sri Kauser Mohiuddin, the then-MLA Candidate and now MLA, Karwan ConstituencY from AIMIM Party, had barged into Polling station-75 along with group of people and threatened the presiding officer and then threatened petitioner also. Similarly Sri Kausar Mohiuddin, MLA warned the presiding officer not to stop any women from voting and not to check any women by removing their veil and checking their identity. He then questioned the petitioner, who she was and threatened her not to quote any rules and then he left. One of the persons in his gang told the petitioner that it will not be good, if she keeps quoting rules.”
Further, the inquiry is documented as follows:
“Presiding Officer: Sri Renneti Bharani Kumar ASO, (Panchayath Raj Department, Tetangana State Secretariat) of P.S.No.75, stated that on election day i.e., 07-12-2018 at about 10.30 AM, petitioner entered into potting station and enquired about polling arrangements and also checking the process of Muslim community women voters. He explained the petitioner that they will follow the guidelines issued by ECl. After some time, other contested candidate of Karwan Assembly constituency by name Mr. Kauser Mohiuddin, AIMIM party also entered inside the polling station atong with a group of about 10 people, to enquire about polling process. He also explained the polling process to Mr. Kauser Mohiuddin and both the petitioner and Mr. Kauser Mohiuddin started discussion on the guidelines to be followed during polling process. This discussion took place for about a minute. However, during that time as a measure of peacefu[ conduct of potting, he directed one of his polling personnel to call the police assigned for law and order duties at ps No.75.”
Socialist Party (India) appeals to all political parties and citizens to comply with all election guidelines including the guidelines laid for facial verification of veiled women voters with their photo electoral rolls and photo identity cards. SP(I) encourages discussion and consensus to comply with the rules in an amicable manner and exhorts desisting from breaking the rule.
It is every citizen’s ethical duty to comply with every election rule, towards preservering the democracy of our country, at the heart of which lies the conduct of free and fair polls with an authentic and purified electoral rolls.
With the upcoming GHMC elections, we trust State Election Commission ensures that no candidate would face the situation faced by Dr Lubna Sarwath for trying to uphold fairness in voting, nor should polling be allowed in any polling station without the mandatory verification of voter with the photo electoral identification.
We trust the SEC will lay down explicitly the strict action that awaits candidates and citizens who do not comply with this rule and those who stop from compliance of the rule.
Best,
Dr Lubna Sarwath
State General Secretary, Socialist Party (India)
మేడం మీ విశ్లేషణ కరెక్ట్ 👍🙏