Karnataka SIR row: FIR against BJP leaders over alleged Form 7 misuse

An FIR was registered in Mysuru on Friday (October 2) against BJP leaders over the alleged misuse of Form 7 to delete Muslim and Dalit voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Similar complaints have been filed against BJP workers and leaders in Belagavi and Bidar.

According to the FIR, BJP leader Ravi Patil and others allegedly attempted to delete the names of 198 Muslim voters from the electoral rolls in Belagavi district. The police have booked the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on charges including cheating, impersonation, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

Congress leaders had staged a protest in Mysuru demanding that the SIR process be scrapped. MLA Tanveer Sait alleged that Form 7 applications were being printed at RSS offices.

Congress protest

On Thursday (October 1), Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and his Cabinet colleagues staged a protest outside the Election Commission, alleging that Form 7 was being misused to systematically remove minority, Dalit and backwards-class voters from the electoral rolls.

Also read: Ground report | Karnataka SIR ordeal: Overworked Anganwadi teachers, anxious voters

The BJP rejected the allegations, arguing that Form 7 is a legitimate provision provided by the Election Commission for electoral-roll revision and that identifying fake voters is not a crime. The BJP accused Congress leaders of making baseless allegations to divert public attention and challenged them to produce evidence of voter deletions.

BJP complaint

A nearly six-hour protest was held on October 1 at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office under the leadership of Shivakumar over electoral-roll revision and the SIR process. The Congress alleged that Form 7 was being misused to delete eligible voters.

Following discussions, election officials in all 224 Assembly constituencies were directed to take legal action against those providing false information in Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8. They were also instructed to act on Form 7 applications only after verification and an inquiry.

The BJP has now complained to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, alleging that the protest was held without permission on the premises of the CEO’s office. It has demanded an FIR against the Chief Minister, ministers and others, arguing that the law must apply equally to everyone.

The CEO’s office has agreed to investigate allegations that fake Forms 6, 6A and 7 were submitted to illegally delete eligible voters and register criminal cases where warranted.

Also read: SIR Form-7 row: Transparency under scanner amid community targeting allegations

Following the protest and a meeting with election officials, Shivakumar said the government would not tolerate attempts to deprive eligible voters of their rights.

Fake applications

The Election Commission has responded to allegations of a systematic attempt to exclude eligible voters under the SIR.

The CEO’s office has directed all Electoral Registration Officers to take stringent legal action against those who create forged documents to delete eligible voters. Shivakumar said FIRs had already been registered in several constituencies based on voter complaints and police investigations would continue.

Form 7 rules

After a meeting with Election Commission officials and legal experts, the Election Commission introduced stricter rules for processing Form 7 applications.

All tahsildars have been instructed not to approve Form 7 applications except in cases involving the death of a voter or duplicate registration. An official death certificate will be mandatory to remove a deceased voter’s name, while duplicate-registration cases must include a second EPIC number.

Also read: Karnataka SIR notice list flags Nandan Nilekani and family, Zerodha co-founders

Shivakumar said the move would prevent attempts to submit Form 7 applications in bulk to delete voters’ names.

35 lakh voters

The Congress has alleged that Opposition parties were attempting to target minority, backward-class, Dalit and poor voters through the alleged voter-deletion conspiracy. Referring to Opposition Leader R Ashoka’s statement about 25,000 Form 7 applications, Shivakumar said a comprehensive investigation would establish where the applications were printed and who distributed them.

The Chief Minister said the government was committed to protecting voters’ democratic rights and would continue the legal battle until the nearly 35 lakh voters who received notices from the CEO’s office were provided the necessary documents and every eligible citizen’s voting right was protected.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)