Newspaper Apologises For 'EVM Unlocked Using Mobile Phone' Story But Rahul Gandhi Yet To Remove His Post

A day after publishing a sensation report that claimed that a relative of newly elected Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar was able to connect to EVMs using his mobile phone, Mumbai-based Mid-Day newspaper has issued a clarification on Monday (17 June).

The report claimed that a mobile phone was used for generating the OTP that unlocked the EVM machine, which was used inside the NESCO Centre during the counting of votes on 4 June.

The report titled 'Waikar's kin had phone that unlocks EVM' stated that police have launched an investigation into the case and sent the phone for examination to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

However, in a clarification issued today, Mid-Day said, "The report 'Waikar's kin had phone that unlocks EVM' (page 6, June 16) inadvertently erroneously mentioned that the accused person used his mobile phone to generate an OTP to unlock EVMs. The error is regretted".

However, Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, rejected the report as “false news” and said a defamation notice had been issued to the publication.

The report was cited by many Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, alleging 'serious concerns' about 'transparency' in India's electoral process.

"EVMs in India are a "black box," and nobody is allowed to scrutinise them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X, citing the report.

However, Gandhi is yet to remove his post after the newspaper issued the clarification.

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