Godda, Sept 6 : A Booth Level Agent (BLA) affiliated with the BJP was arrested in Jharkhand’s Godda district for allegedly submitting around 200 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names from the electoral roll, with the applications reportedly concerning voters from the Muslim community.
The accused, identified as Vinay Kumar Mandal, was later released on bail, officials said. The case has come to light amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
According to the complaint, filed by voter Mukarram Ansari from Booth No. 231 in Pachrukhi village, the applications submitted by Mandal sought deletion of names of genuine voters belonging to the minority community. The list allegedly included the names of Booth Level Officer (BLO) Sajida Bibi and her husband.
An FIR was registered at Godda Muffasil Police Station on September 3 under provisions relating to alleged forgery, intentional insult and false declaration under the Representation of the People Act.
Sajida Bibi said Mandal brought the Form 7 applications to her on August 29 and sought her signature and acknowledgement receipt. She declined to sign the documents before verification. On examining the applications, she allegedly found that the names mentioned were largely those of Muslim voters, including her own and her husband’s.
Mandal, however, denied any wrongdoing and claimed he had been asked to submit the forms following a meeting of BJP booth-level agents. He also alleged that he was surrounded and assaulted by people in the village when he went there to collect a receipt, before police intervened.
The accused acknowledged that most of the forms submitted by him related to Muslim voters, but maintained that similar applications had also been submitted in his own predominantly Hindu village.
Following the incident, local residents and political representatives demanded an investigation into the matter. The District Election Officer has ordered a probe into the mass submission of Form 7 applications.
Form 7 is used for seeking deletion of a name from the electoral roll on specified grounds. During the SIR exercise, BLOs are responsible for verifying voter information and processing claims and objections.
The incident has also triggered a political debate over the electoral revision exercise, with opposition parties alleging attempts to selectively remove voters from electoral rolls, while BJP representatives have claimed that their booth agent was wrongfully detained and threatened.
The allegations are subject to investigation and have not been established in court.
