New Delhi: In a major lapse of security, at least six Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and a VVPAT were recovered from a hotel in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on Monday. The sector magistrate, Avdesh Kumar had reportedly taken the EVM machines to the hotel as his driver wanted to cast his vote. Kumar was in-charge of four EMVs kept as a backup option in case any machine malfunctioned.

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A show-cause notice has been issued to Magistrate Avdhesh Kumar over the dereliction of poll duty. He has been asked to clarify how the EVMs reached the hotel.  “The sector magistrate took the EMVs, VVPATs and a control unit to the hotel after his driver expressed his desire to vote,” District Collector Alokaranjan Ghosh said.

Following the recovered of EVMs from the hotel, locals gathered and protested against the magistrate. They raised suspicions of wrongdoing by the in-charge. Briefing about the incident, Muzaffarpur district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said, "Sector officer was given some reserved machines so that it could be replaced with faulty ones. After replacing EVMs he was left with two balloting unit, one control unit and two VVPATs in his car. He shouldn't have unloaded the machines in the hotel which is against the rules. Since he has violated the rules, a departmental investigation will be done against him." 

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