No evidence of data manipulation by Chilume: CEO

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: According to a final report submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena in Bengaluru, Regional Commissioner Amlan Adithya Biswas found the involvement of some officials from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the offence of enabling the Trust to illegally collect voter data on an unauthorised private digital application- Digital Sameeksha- and storage of the same in a foreign data server.

It is now being said that the investigation into the alleged voter data theft by Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust, has ruled out any electoral fraud or manipulation of electoral roll. A 49-page report submitted to the Chief EO says that there is no evidence of any intrusion into or tampering of data on ERO. net or the operation of the Garuda app.

"Verifications and allegations regarding the activities of Chilume Trust are found to be partially correct," the report read. As directed by the ECI, a comprehensive verification of the purity of the Electoral Rolls was taken up in Mahadevapura, Shivajinagar and Chickpet. No electoral fraud or manipulation of electoral roll is detected in the three constituencies.

However the report further states, "The available evidence indicates that the voter data collected by Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust has been stored in a foreign server, thereby wilfully creating opportunities for wrongful gain from personal data," it said. The report recommended a separate investigation by the police into the matter.

"The data stored on a foreign server must be recovered immediately and a separate criminal case should be filed for this," the report said. "In the guise of free service certain NGOs may just be getting a foothold into the activities which are sensitive in nature. The election machinery of BBMP needs to be drastically revamped and oriented," the report stated.