Jharkhand SIR: BJP BLA held, out on bail, over 200 Form 7s against minority voters

In Jharkhand's Godda district, a BJP Booth Level Agent (BLA) named Vinay Kumar Mandal was arrested and then released on bail after submitting approximately 200 Form 7 applications. These applications sought the deletion of minority voters' names from the electoral roll as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Mandal was arrested following an FIR registered at the Godda Muffasil Police Station on September 3.

The complainant, Mukarram Ansari, and the Booth Level Officer (BLO), Sajida Bibi, both alleged that all the forms submitted by Mandal were in the names of minority community voters, including themselves. According to Ansari, during the SIR process, Mandal claimed that the forms were given to him by BJP BLAs after a meeting. Sajida Bibi confirmed that Mandal brought the forms to her on August 29 and that they were all related to Muslim voters.

The arrest came after local residents demanded Mandal's questioning following the mass submission of these forms. The District Election Officer ordered an investigation into the incident. Congress district general secretary Akbar Ali and former Godda BJP MLA Amit Mandal have commented on the case, with Ali stating that local residents decided to call Mandal to question him after hearing about the forms, and Amit Mandal alleging a lynching-like threat and alleging the involvement of the RJD, which is part of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand.