Mischief mongering at its worst

India happens to be one of the few countries ( that can be counted by the fingers on a hand,) that use electronic voting machines (EVM) for elections. According to my knowledge, Brazil, Bhutan and US to some extent, are the only other countries that use such machines. The EVM used by India ever since 2004, is described on the web site of 'Election Commission of India' as :

“An Electronic Voting Machine consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit – joined by a five-meter cable. The Control Unit is with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is placed inside the voting compartment. Instead of issuing a ballot paper, the Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit will press the Ballot Button. This will enable the voter to cast his vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice.”

This web site also claims that EVM's are absolutely safe and temper proof and the experience of many elections conducted over last 9 years, at various levels, adequately confirms this claim to be quite true. As expected, elections being a highly sensitive subject, doubts and queries about possible malfunctioning and defects in the EVM's have been raised over last 9 years from all over India. All the concerns and issues have been well addressed by the Election commission of India and today EVM's are very much accepted pieces of electronic equipment.

 However there never has been no dearth of self professed experts in India, who believe that they can cheat any piece of equipment or machinery with their superior expert knowledge. One such expert has surfaced in Surkhi town from Madhya Pradesh state, who claims that he can cheat an EVM. He is a local resident and his name has been reported as C.P.Singh.

Last week elections were held in Madhya Pradesh state for electing the next Government that would rule this state for next 5 years. On November 21^st, this Mr. Singh contacted one of the candidates from Surkhi constituency and asked for an appointment. He told the candidate that he can arrange to manipulate upto 3 AVM's with a single remote control. Subsequently he sent several (at least 10) messages to the candidate's cellphone. These messages read like this: “He can use this device to delete all votes from the EVM." or another one that says: “Manipulation can still be done. The EVM memory can be formatted, but it could have an adverse effect too. I have worked in an EVM manufacturing company.”

Quite sure about the reliability of the AVM's, the candidate paid no heed to the messages and went about with his work.

The voting was carried out in Surkhi constituency on 25^th November 2013. Alarm bells started ringing all over the state, when an electronic device was discovered below an EVM at a remote booth in Sagar town. This device, larger than the size of a standard mobile sim card along with three small batteries, was found wrapped in black cloth and was kept below the EVM by someone.

Immediately, rumours about a conspiracy theory were afloat. While some parties again came back with old accusations that EVMs could be tampered with, Surkhi constituency candidate, who had received call and messages from C.P.Singh immediately tried to contact him but the man was suddenly absconding. He says: "Singh is on the run ever since I sent my driver to his house to inquire about the device.” When he found that this C.P.Singh had disappeared, he reported the matter to the police. District Superintendent of Police says that they have launched a hunt for this C.P.Singh, who has since sneaked into neighbouring state of Gujarat. However the police are trying to hunt him down.

According to some so called electronic experts, this rigging device works in this fashion. This device has a 2 mm X 2 mm electronic chip that can receive signals from a distance of 100 meters. Fair enough! But the next part of how this device is supposed to work does not appear to be believable, yet goes like this. The EVM's incorporate a similar chip. A candidate's 'number' can allegedly be transmitted to the EVM from a distance any time before counting and the machines can change the votes inside. This leaves no traces and ensures that the candidate whose number has been transmitted gets highest votes.

Since I have no idea about the exact system architecture inside an EVM, I find it difficult to predict whether the explanation given by these experts would work in reality or not. Yet from my little and now obsolete knowledge of electronics, I think that this whole idea appears to be just a case of fertile imagination. I agree that theoretically it is possible to destroy data in a digital chip with intense electromagnets radiation, but the level of radiation and way it is to be applied, requires such elaborate equipment that it is impossible to do this in a voting machine. Besides I have my own doubts, whether EVM's can accept data in wireless form, their entire functioning and logic being based on inputs from mechanical push button switches.

This appears to me as a clear case of mischief mongering and trying to create confusion amongst people. I would tend to agree with what Chief electoral officer in charge of Madhya Pradesh elections, who claims that the EVM machines are tamper-proof. And there is no need to worry. In any case the truth would be soon out on 8^th Decemeber 2013, when votes would be counted.

30^th November 2013

Parting is always painful!

To say goodbye is to die a little! Says a quote. From the reactions of the people of Sasan, located in Junagadh district of Indian state of Gujarat, it appears to be proving true, even when the parting is with a beast that can kill and take away life as a matter of routine. The people of Sasan are just fuming at the order of the Supreme court of India to relocate few of the Asian Lions, who have been thriving in the nearby Gir forests, covering an area of 1400 Sq. Km. In fact, Gir forest is the only natural habitat, where Asiatic Lions are found now. They have become extinct from rest of Asia, due to catastrophes like epidemic, large forest fire etc. Gir forest fortunately has a variety of landscapes, which probably is one of the main attraction for the animals there. It has forested valleys, wide grassland plateaus, and isolated hilltops. There are also some areas which have open scrub and savannah-type grasslands loved by Lions.

According to Government of Gujarat, the results of the Asiatic Lion census-2010, carried out in the sprawling expanse of “Greater Gir,” including some areas outside the Gir National Park, the population of lions has more than doubled to 411 lions, benchmarked against the 1979 census, which put the number at a mere 205. Out of this number of 411 lions, 77 were cubs less than a year old, and 75 in the 1-3 age group. This means that almost 40 per cent of the lion population comprises of young ones, which bodes well for the future. 

 

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) of India, backed by Ministry of Environment and forests have been proposing since last several years that the Asiatic Lion should have a second home to save it from extinction due to catastrophes like epidemic, large forest fire etc. Wild life experts feel that it is vital to safeguard the long-term future of the king of beasts in India and say “In case there is an epidemic, they could even be wiped out, and hence it’s important that they have a second home. Besides having all our eggs in one basket, Gujarat’s lions come from a very narrow genetic base of about 25 animals at the turn of the last century, and that makes them a very vulnerable population.”

An exclusive wild life sanctuary was set up for the Lions by NBWL at Kuno in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The Government and people of Gujarat however have been most unwilling to part with any of their Lions, which they consider as their pride. According to chief minister of Gujarat, Asiatic lions are Gujarat's gift to the world. The people in Sasan particularly are so aware of the cause of conservation of the lions, that not a single case of poaching has been reported from there in last two years. 

 

With Gujarat Government's flat refusal to part with any of the Gir Lions, Madhya Pradesh Government last year sought translocation of lions to Kuno-Palpur sanctuary from the court of law, claiming it has all the wherewithal to ensure harmonious environment to the threatened species. Responding to this demand of Madhya Pradesh Government, the Gujarat government has been fighting a legal battle in the apex court of India. It claimes that Madhya Pradesh had been unable to protect its own tigers in the Panna reserve, and could not be trusted to host the lion as well.

The Apex court gave its final ruling this week and ordered that a limited number of lions from Gujarat's Gir forest are permitted to be relocated in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno wildlife sanctuary. The court rejected Gujarat government's refusal to allow translocation of lions and said that the Asiatic lions were extremely endangered and all efforts against extinction should be tried, including translocation in limited numbers. The court has also constituted a large expert body to decide the number of lions to be relocated and closely monitor their translocation in Madhya Pradesh.

The court's order has cast a spell of gloom over Sasan town, where people are extremely proud of their lions. They vented out their ire by showing black flags to a research scholar, whom they believe to be the man behind apex court's decision, which they do not approve at all.

Mr. Ravi Chellam, a known expert on lions, is considered by Sasan people as the brain behind the translocation plan of Gir lions. He paid a visit to Gir forest a day after Supreme court's decision accompanying a delegation from the Prague zoo. But instructions were issued to treat him as a private guest. The rest of the Czech delegation members were considered as official guests when they checked into the government guest house at Sasan in Gir. Only Mr. Ravi Chellam was made to pay for the stay and other facilities, including the permit to enter the national park. Gujarat Government even offered to give lions for the Prague zoo if they removed Chellam as the consultant. On next day, a black flag demonstration was planned against Chellam. When he heard about the protests against him he beat a hasty retreat from the national park.

I visited Gir national park to see the Asiatic Lion just two month's back and was well rewarded with a sighting of a majestic looking male lion in his full glory. I feel that we must preserve this majestic king of beasts at all costs and moving few of the Lions to Madhya Pradesh is in no way going to diminish importance of Sasan and Gir forest on the tourist map of India.

I do sympathize with people of Sasan, who have to suffer a sad parting with their dear ones. But considering the long term future of the Lion, we must create many more sanctuaries for it, like what is being done under project tiger. Like a lonely father giving off his only daughter in a marriage for her better future, a little sorrow of parting today, just can not be avoided.

18^th April 2013