Attempts made to delete nearly 80,000 Muslim voters in Bihar’s Dhaka constituency
reveals investigative report
Patna: Nearly 80,000 Muslim voters in Bihar’s Dhaka constituency were targeted for deletion from the electoral roll through formal submissions made in the name of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries, according to an exclusive investigation by The Reporters’ Collective.
The investigation found that written requests for mass deletions were submitted to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) in East Champaran district and to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar. One such petition was filed in the name of the personal assistant of Dhaka’s BJP MLA Pawan Kumar Jaiswal, while another was submitted on the BJP’s state headquarters letterhead in Patna.
The petitions alleged that over 78,000 Muslim voters were “not Indian citizens” and sought their removal from the voter list. However, the ERO acknowledged receiving the submissions and said bulk deletion requests would not be entertained, though the names were marked for verification during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Local residents expressed deep anxiety after learning that their names appeared in the BJP-backed complaints. Among those listed was Firoz Alam, sarpanch of Fulwaria Gram Panchayat, who said his entire family had been wrongly accused of being non-citizens. Teachers, booth-level officers, and even newly registered young voters were also among those named.
The sitting BJP MLA, Pawan Jaiswal, did not respond directly to the revelations. Instead, he accused the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of attempting to delete 40,000 Hindu voters, though he declined to provide proof.
Dhaka constituency, bordering Nepal, has a history of close contests. In 2020, Jaiswal defeated RJD’s Faisal Rahman by just over 10,000 votes out of more than two lakh polled. Given this margin, even a few thousand deletions could significantly alter the electoral outcome.
The Reporters’ Collective noted that such mass targeting of one community is unprecedented, though smaller-scale voter list manipulations have long been alleged in Bihar. Critics say the controversial SIR process, conducted in haste and confusion, has created opportunities for political interference and disenfranchisement of minorities.
The final electoral roll for Dhaka will be released on October 1, which will determine the fate of the nearly 80,000 Muslim voters whose citizenship has been questioned.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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