2 hrs ago
Jharkhand SIR: BJP agent held over voter deletion forms
Officials in Jharkhand are checking voter lists through an exercise called the Special Intensive Revision.
A BJP booth agent allegedly submitted about 200 forms asking for names to be removed from one village’s voter list.
The booth officer and a complainant said the forms were mostly for Muslim voters and that the people were genuine voters.
The booth officer said she found her own name and her husband’s name among the forms.
Police arrested the agent and registered a case involving alleged forgery and false declarations.
The agent was released on bail a few hours later.
He said he was only delivering forms as instructed and claimed villagers assaulted and held him.
Political leaders from the BJP and RJD gave sharply different accounts of what happened.
BJP Booth Level Agent Vinay Kumar Mandal was arrested in Godda over around 200 Form 7 applications seeking voter-name deletions.
The complainant and booth officer said the applications mainly targeted Muslim voters, including the officer and her husband.
The FIR invokes Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions and Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act.
Mandal denied wrongdoing, saying he submitted the forms after being instructed and that he was assaulted and held by villagers.
Mandal was released on bail hours after his arrest, while political leaders exchanged accusations over the incident.
- Who
- BJP Booth Level Agent Vinay Kumar Mandal, Booth Level Officer Sajida Bibi, complainant Mukarram Ansari, police, and local political leaders were involved.
- What
- Mandal was arrested after an FIR alleged that he submitted around 200 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters’ names.
- Where
- The incident concerns Booth No. 231 in Pachrukhi village, Godda block, Godda district, Jharkhand.
- When
- The forms were reportedly brought on August 29; the FIR was registered on September 3, and Mandal was arrested and released on bail on Thursday.
- Why
- The complaint alleged that genuine minority-community voters were targeted through potentially false deletion applications; Mandal said he submitted the forms after being instructed.
Complainants and political critics
BJP representatives and the accused
Purpose and targeting of the forms
Complainants and political critics
The complainant and BLO said around 200 forms sought deletion of genuine voters’ names and all related to, or largely involved, Muslim voters.
BJP representatives and the accused
Mandal acknowledged that the forms largely concerned Muslim voters but said he understood Form 7 as a way to raise claims or objections for verification, and said similar forms had been submitted in a predominantly Hindu village.
What happened at the village
Complainants and political critics
The complainant’s account said residents called Mandal to question him, after which police and officials arrived and a complaint was filed.
BJP representatives and the accused
Mandal said he was surrounded, beaten, and forcibly held from about 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Amit Mandal described this as wrongful hostage-taking and alleged a threat of lynching-like violence.
Political responsibility
Complainants and political critics
RJD figures rejected the BJP’s allegations and said no one harmed Mandal; Rajnish described the episode as an attempt to act brazenly after wrongdoing.
BJP representatives and the accused
Former BJP MLA Amit Mandal alleged that the RJD was involved and said he secured his party’s BLA’s release on bail.
Key facts
- State
- Jharkhand
- District and booth
- Godda district; Booth No. 231, Pachrukhi village
- Forms involved
- Around 200 Form 7 applications
- Alleged targets
- Voters identified by the complainant and BLO as largely belonging to the Muslim minority community
- FIR date
- September 3
- Legal provisions
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions concerning forgery and intentional insult, plus Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act
- Mandal’s status
- Arrested and released on bail hours later
Quotes
Vinay Kumar Mandal
BJP Booth Level Agent accused in the FIR
“I later checked and found they were all Form 7s. There were many names, including my own and my husband’s.”
indianexpress.com
“When we came to know that our names could be deleted through these forms, we informed senior officials.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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