Trump’s name, dog photos misused in Bihar’s voter verification drive, authorities launch probe
Samastipur: A strange incident has surfaced from Bihar's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, where an online application for a residential certificate was submitted in the name of the US President Donald Trump. The form, uploaded on the RTPS (Right to Public Services) portal, included a morphed Aadhaar number, a fake barcode and even a photograph of Trump. The address mentioned belonged to a village in Samastipur district.
The fake application was posed on platform X, under the account The Unknown Human. Officials immediately cancelled the forged application and filed an FIR against an unidentified person responsible for the act. The matter is currently being investigated by the Cyber Police.
According to a report published by Free Press Journal, this is not the first instance of misuse of the digital public service system during the SIR exercise. In Patna’s Masaurhi region last month, a residential certificate was successfully generated in the name of a dog, complete with its photograph and an address listed in Ward Number 15 of Kaulichak. In another case from Nawada, an application under the name “Dogesh Babu,” again with a canine photo surfaced. Nawada District Magistrate Ravi Prakash flagged the incident by sharing the image of the fake document on social media.
The SIR drive, launched by the Election Commission across Bihar which aims to eliminate outdated entries and verify voter credentials, requires all eligible citizens, those aged 18 and above and residing in the state for more than seven years, to submit fresh documents proving their age and residency.
Officials suggest that the false applications may be deliberate attempts to undermine or discredit the revision effort. RTPS in-charge Srishti Sagar confirmed that the application using Trump’s name was cancelled on August 4 and reported immediately.
The application for a residential certificate for Donald Trump in Bihar!
— THE UNKNOWN MAN (@Theunk13) August 6, 2025
Police have registered a case..😅😆😂 pic.twitter.com/pTZ0ra57Gh
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
