The Electronic Corporation of India (ECIL) has denied allegations of self-proclaimed cyber expert Syed Shuja on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) being rigged for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, claiming that he was never an employee of the company.
In a letter submitted to Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain, the ECIL stated: "The records of this company have been verified and it is found that Mr Syed Shuja has neither been in the rolls of ECIL as a regular employee nor was he in any way associated in the design and development of EVMs in ECIL produced between 2009 to 2014."
On Monday, Shuja, who is now seeking asylum in the US, had claimed that he was a former employee of ECIL and was aware of EVM being rigged for the elections.
According to Shuja, the 2014 LS elections were rigged in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and he was part of the team that designed the EVMs used in the elections.
He also made another controversial claim that late Union minister and BJP leader Gopinath Munde was murdered as he was aware of the EVM rigging.
The EC has lodged a complaint with Delhi Police over Shuja's controversial claims. The cyber expert claims that he left India in 2014, fearing for his life as his colleagues were murdered.
The claims made by Shuja has triggered conflict among Congress and BJP. The BJP alleged that the IJA conference was a Congress-supported event to defame the ruling party and Indian democracy.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad targeted Congress by questioning the presence of Kapil Sibal at the press conference in London.
"What was Sibal doing there? In what capacity was he present? My charge is that he was there to monitor the event for the Congress. It was a Congress-sponsored conspiracy designed to defame Indian democracy and it's Election Commission," Prasad said.
"Whether it is the stoppage of the work for the construction of Ram temple, talk of the abolition of law on sedition or impeachment campaign of the Chief Justice of India -- all being done by Kapil Sibal. He is the one who is trying to disgrace Election Commission," the minister added.
Prasad further said that as the Minister of Information Technology (IT), he keeps in touch with experts and developments in the field but had never heard of Syed Shuja.
(with PTI inputs)
