{
  "id": 11916330,
  "title": "DEO orders inquiry into fake death declarations in Vijayapura",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/deo-orders-inquiry-into-fake-death-declarations-in-vijayapura",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-04T11:41:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/deo-orders-inquiry-into-fake-death-declarations-in-vijayapura/article71543475.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "K. Anand, Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer (DEO) in Vijayapura, has initiated an inquiry into allegations of fabricated death certificates being used to remove voter names from the electoral rolls. This follows a memorandum submitted by eight individuals who claimed they had been declared dead through Form 7 applications, submitted at the district electoral office in Vijayapura on October 3, 2026. They alleged that third-party objections, supported by forged documents, had been lodged by some objectors in the city. Allama Bagwan, a government school teacher, expressed shock when she was informed that someone had filed a third-party objection claiming she had died. Another affected individual, Abdul Razak Bagwan, discovered that a death certificate asserting his death had been used to remove his name from the voters' list. These revelations were made public by Congress leaders conducting door-to-door investigations, who discovered that certain followers of Yatnal, a former expelled BJP MLA, had filed objections after affixing fake death certificates of at least eight individuals during the Systematic Intensive Revision of electoral rolls (SIR). Congress leader Abdul Hamid Mushrif accused Yatnal and other Hindutva leaders of targeting Muslim voters. He claimed that approximately 1,046 minority voters across 198 polling stations of the Bijapur city constituency were targeted by falsely claiming they were deceased. Mushrif emphasized that making a false declaration could be punishable under the law and called for a comprehensive investigation into these fake certificates, demanding legal action against those responsible. He stressed the need to verify the authenticity of the submitted death certificates and documents, and take appropriate action if incorrect documents or false information were confirmed.",
  "summary": "Followers of Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an expelled BJP MLA, had filed objections under Form 7, allegedly using fudged death certificates to delete the names of several voters",
  "key_points": [
    "DEO K. Anand launches inquiry into fake death declarations.",
    "Eight individuals claim removal from electoral rolls via forged documents.",
    "Congress leaders allege targeting of Muslim voters by Yatnal and Hindutva leaders."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}