Arrested Voter Faces Assault Charges in Gujarat Election Fraud Case

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

Live Streaming at Polling Station

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invalidated the voting conducted at Parthampur polling station in Santrampur taluka, Mahisagar district, citing irregularities based on reports from the returning officer and observer after the viral dissemination of the individual’s live-streaming video.

Complaint Filed

According to the FIR filed at Santrampur police station in Mahisagar district within the Dahod parliamentary constituency, the accused Vijay Bhabhor, son of a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, along with three others, allegedly confronted a Congress polling agent, Shana Taviad, at a polling station in Gothib village and issued threats.

Upon leaving the polling station following the voting procedure, the accused confronted Taviad once more and purportedly assaulted him for obstructing the casting of fraudulent votes, as outlined in the FIR. Bhabhor was apprehended under sections 323, 504, 506, and 114 of the Indian Penal Code.

The complainant recounted in his statement that while he was present at booth number 1 in Gothib village as a Congress agent, Bhabhor, accompanied by three other individuals identified as Prakash Katara, Pavan Agrawal, and Piyush Bhavsar, approached him, requesting permission to cast a fraudulent vote. Upon the complainant’s refusal, the accused individuals verbally abused him and issued threats.

Later in the evening, following the conclusion of the voting process and the sealing of EVM machines, the complainant departed for home and was waiting at a bus station when Bhabhor arrived at the location in his car, exited the vehicle, and assaulted him, Taviad asserted in his complaint.

Taviad further stated that Bhabhor attempted to forcibly take him into the car, but he managed to escape and sought refuge at a nearby high school, where an official advised him to report the incident to the police.

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