Bihar SIR: “There’s not a single Muslim family in this village,” claimed Kameshwar Thakur, whose own household was shown in official documents as housing Roshan Khatoon and Mohammad Shabbir. “We have no idea who these people are. They’ve never lived here.”
Villagers allege this isn’t an isolated incident. Across Mohanpur, homes that belong to well-known local Hindu families, mostly Bhumihars and Sahus, are now mysteriously shared with unfamiliar Muslim names. These aren’t just any names; they’re complete with relations, house numbers, and often appear alongside the real residents in the list.
What does this mean for the integrity of democracy?
When approached, local BLOs either denied wrongdoing or admitted that lists had been updated digitally, possibly without door-to-door verification. Some maintained personal handwritten logs, different from what appeared in official lists.
The Election Commission had earlier announced the implementation of SIR (Systematic Voter Roll Purification) across Bihar, meant to clean and verify voter data. But this incident calls the entire process into question.
Bihar SIR: Who is adding these names?
While local leaders remain tight-lipped, the villagers want an immediate investigation and rectification. “We vote for governments based on these lists,” one resident said. “If they’re compromised, so is our democracy.” As the state gears up for elections, this may become more than just a local administrative issue. It could snowball into a national debate on identity, digital governance, and communal trust.
Why only in Hindu households?
Local people consider this to be “sabotage” on the part of the Election Commission and booth-level officers (BLOs), wanting to know why they see the prospect of legal and fraudulent claims on their properties. The first such reports about this issue, which list these names as absurd, have come and indeed raise doubts about the voter registration process, especially with the alleged ease with which names can be changed or added to the list digitally. This issue may turn into a political storm.
