Vijayapura election officer orders probe into alleged fake death certificates
Vijayapura’s Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer has ordered an inquiry after at least eight residents said false death certificates were used to seek deletion of their names from electoral rolls. Congress leaders allege the objections targeted Muslim voters, but the supplied report says the claims remain subject to investigation.
The Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer of Vijayapura, K. Anand, has ordered an inquiry into allegations that false death certificates were used to seek the removal of voters’ names from electoral rolls. The inquiry follows a memorandum submitted by at least eight residents who appeared before the district electoral office on Saturday.
They said objectors had filed Form 7 applications claiming that they were dead and had attached forged or inaccurate documents. Among those who raised the issue was Allama Bagwan, a government schoolteacher. She said a Booth Level Officer informed her that an application had been filed declaring her dead.
The officer later visited her home and collected details, assuring her that her name would not be removed from the rolls. Abdul Razak Bagwan, Malanbi Jamadar, Mumtaj Mulla and four others also reportedly learnt that documents identifying them as deceased had been submitted in support of deletion requests. The allegations emerged during the Systematic Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Congress leaders said they had visited homes to identify discrepancies between existing rolls and the current revision exercise. They alleged that followers of expelled BJP MLA Yatnal had filed objections and attached false death certificates. Congress leader Abdul Hamid Mushrif alleged that attempts had been made to remove about 1,046 minority-community voters across 198 polling stations in the Bijapur city constituency.
He said some documents had been submitted on Yatnal’s letterhead and called for a comprehensive investigation. The allegations have not been established in the supplied material. Anand’s inquiry is expected to examine the authenticity of the certificates, the applications and the circumstances in which the documents were issued.
Mushrif said that, if false information or improper documents were confirmed, those responsible should face action under election laws and other applicable statutes.
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