Belagavi: Members of Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti on Thursday urged deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan to stop alleged black magic and superstitious practices aimed at influencing voters in the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Association directors’ election.The activists, led by advocate Anand Menase, alleged that kumkum and bhandara were being distributed and voters made to take oaths at a venue near Savadatti. They sought immediate intervention by the superintendent of police and district administration to ensure a free and fair election.Submitting a memorandum to the deputy commissioner, Menase said polling for the board of directors of Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh, also known as Gokul, was scheduled for Oct 18. About 5,500 authorised voters were eligible to vote.A members’ meeting was being organised at Nikam Kalyana Mantapa in Savadatti on Oct 16, where voters were allegedly proposed to be made to take an oath while holding sacred bhandara from Savadatti temple.Menase alleged the ceremony sought to induce or coerce voters to support a particular candidate or panel by creating fear of divine wrath, spiritual retribution or other consequences. Those refusing could face mental harassment, threats or direct coercion, he said.The memorandum sought an examination under Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017. It demanded immediate registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, if the allegations were substantiated.
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