Ranchi, Sept 5: Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar has directed police to register FIRs against five people in connection with the alleged submission of fake documents to get names included in the electoral roll, officials said on Saturday.
The action followed complaints received during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the Santhal Pargana region. During an inspection of the Pakur Assembly constituency, Kumar examined cases in which allegedly fraudulent documents had been submitted for voter registration.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, four people Rubeda Bewa, Ravi Sheikh, Pintu Sheikh and Sentu Sheikh allegedly submitted fake residential certificates to support their applications for inclusion in the electoral roll.
A Common Service Centre (CSC) operator, identified as Mohammad Salim, was also identified in connection with the alleged issuance of fraudulent certificates. Kumar directed that an FIR be registered against him as well.
The CEO visited the residences of the alleged beneficiaries in Barharwa and conducted an on-the-spot verification. Barharwa police station in-charge Sumit Kumar said an FIR would be registered after a formal complaint is received.
Kumar said complaints had been received from the Barharwa block and that the investigation had brought alleged cases of submission of forged documents to light.
He also said officials had learnt that caste certificates were allegedly being issued in violation of government rules for the SIR exercise.
“This is wrong. We will take action in this matter,” Kumar told reporters.
The CEO has directed District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers to scrutinise documents submitted during the revision process. He said action would be taken against anyone found to have deliberately submitted false or forged documents.
During his visit to Santhal Pargana, Kumar is also scheduled to review complaints concerning the alleged inclusion of suspicious names in electoral rolls in districts including Sahibganj, Dumka, Godda and Deoghar, besides holding meetings with election officials.
The Election Commission released the draft electoral roll in Jharkhand on August 5 after more than 43.61 lakh names were removed during the SIR exercise. The state had around 2.64 crore registered voters before the revision, while the draft roll contains around 2.21 crore names.
The deadline for filing claims and objections under the SIR process has been extended to September 15, while the revised electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 19, according to officials.
