The Election Commission (EC) today i.e., January 22, 2019, asked the Delhi Police to lodge an FIR against the U.S. based cyber expert for making claims that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were rigged and the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be hacked.
In its letter, the EC said Syed Shuja has allegedly violated Section 505(1) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, pertaining to spreading rumours which creates panic.
The EC asked the police to "investigate promptly" the statement made by Shuja at an event in London hosted by the Indian Journalist Association and the Foreign Press Association.
Shuja claiming that he was a part of the team at Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), which designed and developed the EVMs has alleged that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were rigged and that senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde was murdered because he knew about the tampering.
The expert also alleged that slain journalist Gauri Lankesh had agreed to run the story for him, but she was murdered following an RTI that she filed to know who manufactured cables used in the EVMs.
However, rejecting the allegations, the Election Commission reiterated the foolproof nature of EVMs by stating that “EVMs are manufactured in Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited under very strict supervisory and security conditions and there are rigorous standard operating procedures meticulously observed at all stages under the supervision of a committee of eminent technical experts constituted way back in 2010.”
