EVM hacking: Mumbai Police book US-based man over 'false claims'
The Mumbai Cyber Police have registered an FIR against US-based Syed Shuja, who allegedly claimed he could hack Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The case was registered after Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Office complained after a video of Shuja making these claims went viral on social media. In the video, part of a sting operation by India Today TV, Shuja offers to manipulate election results for ₹54 crore using technology he claimed to have obtained from the United States Department of Defense.
Shuja's claims and the Election Commission's response
Shuja alleged that he had access to EVMs used in 281 out of 288 constituencies in Maharashtra during the state assembly elections. These claims emerged amid allegations of EVM hacking by several political leaders after the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024. However, the Chief Electoral Office of Maharashtra dismissed these as "false, baseless and unsubstantiated," adding that EVMs are standalone machines not connected to any network, making tampering impossible.
Election Commission of India defends EVM security
The Election Commission of India (ECI) also defended the security of EVMs, saying they are tamper-proof. The ECI emphasized that the Supreme Court has time and again expressed confidence in their security. This isn't Shuja's first brush with controversy over such claims. In 2019, he faced another FIR for similar allegations during the Delhi elections.
Shuja's background and previous allegations
Shuja has previously claimed to have worked with the Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) on EVM development between 2009-14, a claim ECIL has refuted. He also claims he was granted asylum in the US in 2018 after allegedly being attacked for discovering EVM tampering. However, these claims remain unverified. Cybersecurity experts have debunked Shuja's explanations about using "frequency isolation" and Jio signals to manipulate EVMs as technically unfounded.
