SIR akin to Bihar across states to witness removal of dead voters from voter list
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New Delhi (PTI): The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across all states in the near future will witness a trend akin to Bihar where lakhs of deceased persons were removed from the voter list after several years.
The Election Commission believes that once the system of linking data of registrar of births and deaths with poll machinery takes firm roots, the issue of deceased persons being part of electoral rolls will eventually be settled.
Before the SIR commenced in Bihar, the state had 7.89 crore electors. After the exercise started, the draft roll published on August 1 had 7.24 crore electors, as nearly 65 lakh names were removed, including 22 lakh deceased persons.
Addressing the media here in August, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar had explained that nearly 22 lakh electors identified as deceased in Bihar did not die recently but were perhaps not recorded in the past.
Responding to a question, Kumar said during the previous normal revision of electoral rolls, enumeration forms were not handed out to every household.
Till people inform about deaths in their families, booth level officers (BLOs) have no means to know about such cases, he said.
During the intensive revision, when the exercise is more stringent, the poll machinery is more vigilant about the deletion of people who have either died or have shifted.
In a bid to update the voter list at a faster pace and make it free of errors, the poll authority will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India (RGI).
This will ensure that the electoral registration officers (EROs) receive timely information about registered deaths and allow the BLOs to reverify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request by the kin of the deceased.
"People have no incentive to inform the poll authorities of deaths in their families. But once the data linkage takes root, the presence of deceased persons in the voter list will eventually end," a functionary said.
The functionary said once data linkage with the RGI and municipal and rural bodies is firmly established, the voter list will be more error-free.
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Wanted criminal carrying Rs 15,000 reward injured in encounter, arrested: Delhi Police
New Delhi (PTI): A wanted criminal carrying a Rs 15,000 reward was arrested following a brief exchange of fire near southeast Delhi's Amar Colony, police said on Tuesday.
According to the police, information was received that Mohammad Rizwan, who is wanted by Uttar Pradesh Police, was in Amar Colony area, and a trap was laid to intercept him.
However, when the police team attempted to apprehend Rizwan, he opened fire in a desperate bid to escape.
The team retaliated and Rizwan sustained a bullet injury in his right leg, and was subsequently overpowered by the police team, a senior officer said.
He was immediately taken into custody and provided medical assistance.
Police said Rizwan had come to Delhi with the intention of committing a crime, but was apprehended before he could execute his plan.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions, and further investigation is underway to ascertain his involvement in other criminal cases, the officer said.
