With election time approaching, there admittedly can be a lot of smoke without fire. But there are several loose ends to the claim made by a now US-based hacking ‘expert’ from India that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were rigged – in favour of the BJP. He did not actually hack an EVM yesterday. The Election Commission has rejected the charge, and at its behest the Delhi police has filed an FIR to ascertain the antecedents of the ‘expert’ who styled himself as Syed Shuja at a media event in London. Police would also examine whether any political plot was involved in the so-called ‘expose’. This addresses only one side of the curious tale, resembling “science fiction”, as claimed by former Union minister Kapil Sibal who was present at the event.
Technology is not easy to understand; more so the electronics technology, which is both used and misused. If by chance there’s an iota of truth in what this ‘expert’ has claimed, that would be a huge set-back to the democratic practices followed in this country. At the same time, the loose ends in his claims need be noted. The 2014 elections were held at a time when the UPA II led by the Congress was in power. A question is which external agency tried to manipulate the verdict – which went hugely in favour of the BJP. Also, why this ‘expert’ remained silent so far; more so, as he says he had escaped the bullets from the security personnel of a senior BJP leader one day in Hyderabad, leading to his escape from the country, ultimately to the US. He has also stated that he had, along with his associates, tried to ‘blackmail’ the BJP with the information he had about the alleged hacking of EVMs, and that these associates had been killed in the shooting. He has also linked BJP leader Gopinath Munde’s death, as also leftist Gouri Lankesh’s murder, to the 2014 EVM ‘fraud’.
True or not, these are bound to be major electoral issues. Yet, notably, the background of the individual who raised the charge is shrouded in mystery. The presence of a Congress leader at the event added to the sense of disbelief. The Electronics Corporation of India Ltd denies the claim Shuja had ever been in its staff, as he claimed. His name and antecedents are in serious doubt. All the same, it is important that this case be investigated from all angles and the veracity of these apparently outlandish claims established beyond reasonable doubt.