Karnataka SIR: Objectors used death certificates of people to seek deletion of names of voters with similar names
The controversy erupted after eight persons submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer that third-party objectors had sought deletion of their names from the voter lists, claiming that they had died
The investigation into a controversy involving the deletion of voter names in Vijayapura, Karnataka, has uncovered the use of genuine death certificates by objectors to remove names with similar spelling. Eight individuals submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer (DEO), claiming that third-party objectors had sought to delete their names from the voter lists, stating that they had passed away.
The objectors, including supporters of Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a recently expelled BJP MLA, attached copies of death certificates along with Form-7 objections, adhering to the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) guidelines. K. Anand, the DEO, initiated an inquiry into the matter. Officers investigating the issue faced two primary questions: verifying the legitimacy of the individuals claiming to have been wrongfully declared deceased and determining the authenticity of the death certificates.
It was found that the voters were indeed genuine victims. Their personal details, including addresses, mobile numbers, and EPIC numbers, matched those on the electoral rolls, and relatives' names were present in the voter records. The death certificates, originally issued by qualified doctors from real hospitals—both private institutions and the city corporation—were not fraudulent.
They were obtained by the objectors through improper channels, bypassing the knowledge or consent of the authorities or the deceased's families. The irregularities were exposed when a government servant received an objection from an unknown person, citing that they had been declared deceased. K. Anand received a call from a fellow teacher, acting as a Booth Level Officer (BLO), who confirmed that the teacher in question was not dead.
Upon investigation, eight death certificates were found attached to Form-7 applications, belonging to six women and two men. Similar discrepancies were identified in the remaining certificates submitted through similar objections. These discrepancies included mismatches between ages, residential addresses, and names of relatives, including parents and spouses.
For instance, in Abdul Razak's case, his name and his father's name matched, but his mother's name did not correspond to the one on the certificate. In the case of Ms. Bagwan, her husband's name was listed as her father's, while her mother's name did not match. The reason for these discrepancies was that the death certificates belonged to completely different individuals who had lived in different locations and had passed away in the past.
Abdul Hamid Mushrif, a Congress leader, explained that the objectors, predominantly Muslim voters, had targeted Muslims due to the prevalence of similar names among the community. Mr. Yatnal, a BJP supporter, had openly stated that he believed Muslims engaged in fraudulent voting, leading him to request their deletion from the electoral rolls.
The BJP and Yatnal's supporters submitted approximately 20,000 objections in the district, with around 1,100 objections lodged in Vijayapura city. The police have registered FIRs against three individuals, including Mr. Yatnal, in connection with this controversy. A comprehensive inquiry report will be submitted to the Election Commission.
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