A probe has been announced to find who facilitated Afghan nationals’ inclusion in voter list and investigate whether more foreign nationals are enrolled as voters.
Three Afghan nationals have been found in the draft voter list prepared during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jharkhand. The Election Commission has ordered a detailed probe into how their names were added to the voter list.
The case came to light in the Jamshedpur East Assembly constituency during document verification. The three individuals have been identified as Asil Khan, Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Ibrahim. Their names were already present in the voter list and they had also completed the enumeration process as part of the SIR exercise.
However, discrepancies were detected during document verification, following which their names were placed on the notice list. Notices were issued to all three individuals, but they failed to produce the documents sought by the authorities.
During subsequent verification, their passports were found. The documents revealed that they were Afghan citizens.
Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar confirmed the development, saying three foreign nationals had been identified in the case. He clarified that the citizenship status of one of them had been confirmed, while the other two were suspected to be foreign nationals.
Speaking exclusively to India Today TV over the phone, Kumar said the names of all three individuals had been removed from the voter list.
“Three foreign nationals have been identified. One is confirmed and the other two are suspected. Their names have been removed from the voter list,” Kumar said.
Kumar said the election authorities had ordered a detailed inquiry and investigation into how the names of foreign citizens were added to the electoral roll. The authorities will also investigate who helped them get their names included in the voter list.
He said criminal action would be initiated against all those found to be involved in the matter. According to the Chief Electoral Officer, helping foreign citizens get their names added to the voter list amounts to criminal activity.
The investigation will not be limited to the three individuals. Their other family members will also come under scrutiny and their documents will be verified to establish their actual status.
The Jamshedpur Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police will take appropriate action after the investigation, the Chief Electoral Officer said.
