‘Shocked to know I was dead’: FIR against MLA in Karnataka over ‘death certificates’ to delete voters

Abdulrajaq Moulasab Bagawan, a 50-year-old vegetable vendor from Bagawan Colony in Karnataka's Vijayapura, was taken aback to learn he was declared dead on paper. This revelation came when the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Part 15 of the Bijapur city constituency presented him with a death certificate bearing his name. Bagawan was alerted by the BLO who had come to verify whether he was genuinely dead or not.

Concerned, he and other eight residents of Vijayapura inquired with the BLO about death certificates for other family members. However, they found that only Bagawan's name was listed on the certificate. Allegations have since been made that Yatnal, the local MLA, submitted forged death certificates to the Electoral Registration Officer during the objections phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to delete these voters' names.

Yatnal, who has been suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year, claims he wrote to authorities stating that some voters had died and he would challenge the FIR in court. Local government school teacher Allama Bagwan also filed a police complaint when she found out that her name was sought to be deleted. The FIR was registered at Vijayapura's Jalanagar Police Station.