BJP urges EC to shift police officers linked to Mahadev app row from poll duty

RAIPUR: Amid the political storm surrounding the Mahadev App, an online betting platform, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called upon the Election Commission to keep police officers, whose names were figured in the controversy, away from election duties.

A BJP delegation, including BJP MP Sonil Soni, former minister Chandra Shekhar Sahu, and Vijay Shankar Mishra, met with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Reena Babasaheb Kangale and informed her that the name of the Raipur senior superintendent of police was mentioned by Shubham Soni, who claimed to be the founder of the Mahadev book, in a video released by him.

Following the arrests of Asim Das and Constable Bhim Singh in Bhilai, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel received Rs 508 crore from the App operators, sparking a political dispute during the assembly elections. The BJP's demand to keep SSP Prashant Agrawal away from election-related duties came after the Mahadev book operator named him in the video.

The BJP has also filed a complaint with the CEO, pointing out an attempt to create terror and influence the legislative assembly elections, and mentioning incidents of targeted killings of BJP leaders in Maoist areas. The BJP has also requested the transfer of some collectors in the Bastar region and certain government officials/employees to other locations to ensure a fair election.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference on Monday, BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh stated that the Congress government could have exercised its powers to ban the Mahadev App. He mentioned that section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 empowers the state government to take action in such matters. Moreover, the chief minister could have recommended action against the betting app to the central government. "The chief minister of Chhattisgarh neither sent a request nor took any action. Now, the central government has banned the Mahadev App along with some other betting apps for the sake of the youth. The ED has mentioned that the Mahadev App is a clear case of money laundering," he said.

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