‘EVM tampering bid’ foiled in Odisha; youth detained  

Keonjhar: With a day left for the last phase elections in state, allegations of EVM tampering bid today surfaced in Keonjhar district that went to polls in third phase on April 23.

As per reports, a youth was detained by workers of a political party late last night while he was roaming suspiciously in front of a strong room on the premises of Odisha School of Mining Engineering (OSME) here.

As per the allegations, while some BJP workers were keeping an eye on the strong room, where EVMs of Keonjhar Sadar and Telkoi Assembly Constituencies have been kept, in apprehension of EVM tampering, a group of people were seen roaming in a suspicious manner on the college premises. A few other persons were also sitting inside a four-wheeler outside the college.

The BJP workers later caught hold of a person identified as Ashapradeep Mohanty, who claims to be an engineer, while others managed to flee the spot. Later, police reached the spot and took the youth into custody for interrogation.

When asked, Keonjhar Sub-Collector Somnath Pradhan refuted the allegations of EVM tampering bid and said, “The man was moving on the college premises, not near the strong room. We have constantly kept an eye on all strong rooms in the district. Nevertheless, we are interrogating the youth in this connection”.