3,400 SIR forms found at Navi Mumbai photocopy shop, 5 BLOs suspended; Sena (UBT)-BJP men clash

Five Booth Level Officers were suspended after 3,400 enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls were discovered at a photocopy shop in Navi Mumbai, leading to a clash between Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP activists, according to police and district officials. The Sena (UBT) workers confronted a man they believed was a BJP Youth Wing office-bearer while he was allegedly photocopying the forms in the Kharghar area.

A video of the incident went viral, prompting an inquiry into how the forms reached the private photocopy center. The Raigad District Collector registered a case against Suraj Patil under the Representation of the People Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Suspended officers were placed on leave pending disciplinary action.

The matter emerged after complaints that SIR applications were being photocopied at a shop in Sector 19, with Patil allegedly found in possession of the forms. The Electoral Registration Officer dispatched Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to the photocopy center, where they found Patil had brought 3,400 applications for 11 polling stations.

The majority of applications came from five polling stations, while six other polling stations had only one copy each. Sena (UBT) official Balesh Bhojane questioned the legality of the forms being in private hands and blamed BJP youth wing members for the incident. However, Panvel Municipal Corporation Mayor and BJP leader Nitin Patil denied any link between his party and the matter.

The opposition NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar called for the suspension of not only the BLOs but also those who instructed them, alleging the incident exposed the SIR process. He demanded a response from the Election Commission of India, claiming his party was correct in alleging the BJP uses this process to ensure its election victory.