Syed Shuja, who said he is seeking political asylum in the US, addressed a press conference in London via Skype and made several outlandish claims without offering any proof.
A self-proclaimed US-based Indian cyber expert on Monday made several sensational claims regarding the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) saying that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was "rigged".
Several political parties in the past have alleged that the EVMs are prone to tampering and demanded reintroduction of the ballot papers.
Syed Shuja, who said he is seeking political asylum in the US, addressed a press conference in London via Skype. He claimed that EVMs can be hacked, a charge rejected by the Election Commission of India.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) rejected his claims and reiterated that the EVMs used by it are manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), both state-owned, under "very strict" supervisory and security conditions.
Shuja said he fled India in 2014 because he felt threatened in the country after the killing of some of his team members. Although he appeared on screen through Skype, his face was masked.
He was presented at the press conference held under the aegis of the Indian Journalists' Association (Europe). The Election Commission and political parties were invited to be at the press meet but only Congress leader Kapil Sibal attended the event, he added.
Here are 10 outlandish claims made by the self-proclaimed cyber-expert:
1. 1- 2014 Lok Sabha elections were 'rigged'
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Shuja claimed that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was "rigged" through the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The BJP-led NDA came to power ousting the Congress-led UPA in 2014.
"The 2014 general elections were rigged," he claimed.
Shuja alleged that the Lok Sabha election results in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi in 2014 were rigged. The self-styled cyber expert alleged that the EVMs were hacked by the BJP using a modulator which transmits military-grade frequency. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP.
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2. 2- 'Reliance Jio helped BJP to hack EVMs'
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Shuja claimed the telecom giant Reliance Jio helped the BJP to get low frequency signals to hack the EVMs. He provided no proof to back up his claim. Jio was not in operation in 2014 and had launched its services in September 2016.
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3. 3- Gopinath Munde was 'killed' because he was aware of EVM hacking
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He also claimed that BJP leader and union minister Gopinath Munde was "killed" because he was aware of EVM hacking in 2014 general elections. Munde died in a road accident in New Delhi weeks after the BJP won the 2014 elections in May.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in October 2014 ruled out any foul play in the death of Gopinath Munde, claiming that the politician had died due to injuries sustained in a road accident.
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4. 4- 'NIA officer wanted to file FIR in Munde's death'
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Shuja also claimed Tanzil Ahmed, the NIA officer investigating Munde's death, was planning to file an FIR noting that the BJP leader was murdered. Ahmed himself was killed before he could file an FIR, Shuja alleged.
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5. 5- 'Some of my team members were killed'
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Shuja said some of his team members were killed and he was also allegedly attacked but survived. Shuja said he fled India in 2014 because he felt threatened in the country.
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6. 6- 'Told a prominent Indian journalist about EVM rigging'
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Shuja said he met a prominent Indian journalist and told him the whole story about the alleged EVM rigging.
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7. 7- 'Worked for ECIL'
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Shuja claimed he worked for the ECIL from 2009-2014. Shuja said he was part of a team which designed the EVMs used in the 2014 elections. He said that he and his team were instructed by the ECIL to find out if EVMs could be hacked, and find out how to do this.
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8. 8- 'Not just BJP, Congress too involved in EVM rigging'
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Shuja also alleged that other than the BJP, the SP, BSP, AAP and Congress too are involved in rigging of the EVMs. There was no immediate reaction from any of these parties.
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9. 9- 'BJP stopped from hacking EVMs in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and MP'
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He said the BJP would have won the recent Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections if his team hadn't intercepted the alleged attempts by the saffron party to hack the "transmissions" in these states.
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10. 10- 'BJP tried hacking EVMs in 2015 Delhi polls'
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Shuja claimed that the BJP would have swept 2015 Delhi assembly elections had the transmission not been intercepted. "In Delhi state elections in 2015, we managed to intercept the transmission, resulting in the AAP winning 67 out of 70 seats. Otherwise the BJP would have swept," he claimed.
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11. Proof???
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The outlandish and explosive claims, made in a cloak and dagger manner, could not be immediately confirmed. Shuja himself did not provide any proof to back up his claim.
(Photo: PTI)
12. Gopinath Munde's nephew seeks R&AW probe
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NCP leader Dhananjay Munde Monday demanded a probe either by the R&AW or a Supreme Court judge into the death of his uncle and former Union minister Gopinath Munde. Dhananjay Munde, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, also termed as "shocking" the claims made by the self-proclaimed US-based Indian cyber expert. He said those who loved Gopinath Munde had always raised questions over his death wondering "if it actually was an accident or a sabotage".
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13. Congress distances itself from presser
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The Congress distanced itself from the press conference but demanded an investigation into the allegations. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said party leader Kapil Sibal was invited by a journalist and he did not represent the Congress party at the press conference.
He said the Congress and other parties want that there should be a system in place to check 50 per cent of voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPAT) to reassure the country on the infallibility of electronic voting machines.
"The charges made are very serious. I cannot vouch for them or deny them, as they have not been investigated. But they certainly need investigation. These should be looked into with an open mind by the Election Commission," he told reporters.
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14. Oppn will take up the issue with Election Commission: Mamata
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the opposition will take up with the Election Commission the claims made by Shuja.
"Our great democracy must be protected. Every vote of yours is precious. All Oppn parties discussed the #EVM issue after the #UnitedIndiaAtBrigade rally. We are working closely together and decided on Jan 19 itself to consistently take up the matter with EC. Yes, every vote counts," she tweeted.
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15. Chandrababu Naidu asks EC to seek opinion of political parties on return to ballot system
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu demanded the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seek opinion of all political parties and revert to the paper ballot system.
Taking to Twitter, Naidu said: "EVM is turning out to be a big threat to democracy. It is worrying to know the claims made on the possibility of tampering EVMs. EC must seek opinion of all political parties and revert to the paper ballot system immediately."
16. AAP rejects claim
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The AAP Monday rejected the claim of a self-proclaimed cyber expert that he was contacted by the party to know about hacking of EVMs, but welcomed his allegation that EVMs could be "tampered".
AAP MLA and party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj, who demonstrated "tampering" of a replica of an electronic voting machine in the Delhi Assembly in 2017, said the party did not contact the cyber expert.
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17. Election Commission stands by 'foolproof' nature of EVMs
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The Election Commission asserted that it firmly stands by the 'foolproof nature' of its machines even as it said it is examining as to what legal action "can and should" be taken in the matter. In a statement released in New Delhi, the poll panel said whereas it is "wary of becoming a party to this motivated slugfest", it firmly stands by the "empirical facts about foolproof nature of ECI EVMs" used in elections in India.
The ECI reiterated that the EVMs used by it are manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), both state-owned, under "very strict" supervisory and security conditions. It said there are rigorous standard operating procedures "meticulously observed" at all stages under the supervision of a committee of technical experts constituted in 2010.
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18. Jaitley hits out at Congress over EVM issue
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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday lashed out at the Congress for casting doubt over the efficacy of EMVs.
Taking to Twitter, the Finance Minister said, “After Rafale, the non-existent loan waiver to 15 industrialists – the next big lie–EVM hacking. Was the Election Commission & millions of Staffers involved in manufacturing, programming of EVMs & conduct of elections during the UPA Government in collusion with the BJP–absolutely rubbish.” “Does the Congress feel that the people are so gullible that they will swallow any garbage? Insanity in the Congress party is increasingly becoming contagious,” the Finance Minister added.
(Photo: PTI)
