Held for live-streaming his bogus voting, Gujarat man now booked for beating, threatening Cong agent

Dahod: The man arrested for live-streaming his bogus voting from a polling station in Dahod Lok Sabha constituency of Gujarat, has been booked in separate case of allegedly thrashing and intimidating a Congress party agent during the third phase of parliamentary elections on May 7, police said on Friday.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declared null and void the voting that took place at Parthampur polling station at Santrampur taluka in Mahisagar district, taking into account the report from the returning officer and observer regarding the irregularities, after the man's live streaming video went viral.

As per the FIR lodged at Santrampur police station in the state's Mahisagar district that falls under the Dahod parliamentary constituency, accused Vijay Bhabhor, son of a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, and three others allegedly confronted a Congress polling agent, Shana Taviad, at a polling station at Gothib village and threatened him.

While leaving the polling station after the voting process, the accused confronted Taviad again and allegedly beat him up for not allowing him to cast his bogus vote, the FIR said.

Bhabhor was arrested under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (insulting to threaten peace), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 114 (present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The complainant stated in his petition that when he was present at booth number 1 at Gothib village as a Congress agent, Bhabhor approached him along with three other persons identified as Prakash Katara, Pavan Agrawal, Piyush Bhavsar and asked to allow him to cast his bogus vote.

When the complainant refused to do so, the accused persons abused him and threatened him with consequences.

In the evening, when the voting process got over and EVM machines were sealed, the complainant left for home and was standing at a bus station when Bhabhor came to the spot in his car, got out of the vehicle and thrashed him, Taviad said in his complaint.

Bhabhor allegedly tried to drag him into the car, the complainant said, adding that he managed to escape from there and reached a nearby high school where an officer advised him to approach the police.