Latest news with #ElectoralPhotoIdentityCards
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
A house in Patna & web of immigrants buying fake IDs
Lucknow / Patna: The arrest of Afghan national Jandullah Dad Mohammad, 29, from Lucknow airport on May 22 has led the Bureau of Immigration sleuths to a house in Patna, the address of which was registered against several duplicate IDs. Intel agencies are working to confirm if Jandullah's chance arrest has helped them step on a major racket where fake IDs and forged documents, such as ration cards and voter IDs, were being made for illegal immigrants or even wanted criminals. Just five-minute walk from Patna Junction, Wakil Anwer House tucked in the congested lane off Jamal Road is home to about two dozen rooms. To the Election Commission of India (ECI) and intelligence agencies, the house is a curious anomaly—a hub of questionable identities, with electoral rolls showing eerie duplication of names, ages, and fathers' identities. ECI's consolidated electoral list, published on Jan 7, 2025, under a special summary revision, revealed the building has 12 male occupants, all in their 20s and 30s except one, with no women registered. Alarmingly, at least four of them shared identical details: Same age, same father's name (Kabir), and multiple Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs). Electoral registration officer (ERO) Raghvendra Pratap Singh told TOI, "We were told by the occupants of the house that Jandullah had come to Patna some five years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 나이 들수록 안 빠지는 복부 내장지방 뱃살 쫙 빠지는 "이것" 신현재 중년 복부비만 개선 더 알아보기 Undo His supposed brother Mansur left for Dubai six months ago, and there's no information about their father, Kabir." The ERO has ordered cancellation of Mansur's and Mohammad Sher Khan's duplicate EPICs, noting, "One individual cannot have two EPICs." The remaining occupants claim their ancestors have lived in India for decades, working as daily wagers selling dry fruits, carpets, sarees, bangles, or shawls. Singh has demanded their documents to ascertain their nationality. Syed Akbar Ahmad, one of the property's owners, told TOI about its long-standing Afghan connection. "Jandullah's father came from Afghanistan many years ago. Five years ago, the son came, but I don't have any idea about their whereabouts," he said. "It never occurred to me that I should ask for rent agreement or their police verification as they had been living here for several years," Ahmad said. He claimed Afghan tenants have resided on his property for over 70 years, with some families dating back to their grandfathers' time. "The tenants who started living on my property several decades ago have never left or been replaced," he added. Shayab Khan, a tenant in his early 50s, said, "My grandfather migrated to Patna 70-80 years ago. I have all identity proofs as a resident of India, including Aadhaar card, voter card, driving licence, and other documents. I have voted in both assembly and parliamentary elections at least 15 times." Khan's claim aligns with the historical migration of Pashtuns from Afghanistan to India, particularly before 1947, when many settled in cities like Patna to engage in trade. But things seem to have changed. Jandullah's case points to a sophisticated document racket likely operating from Patna. After entering India on a six-day medical visa in Dec 2019, he vanished from Delhi's radar. By 2020, he had acquired a full suite of fake Indian IDs, passing himself off as Rehan from Kotwali Patna.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
EC training field functionaries from T.N. and Puducherry in Tamil
The Election Commission of India on Wednesday said it was training field-level election functionaries from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in Tamil. At least 293 participants including 264 Booth Level Officer (BLO) supervisors, 14 Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), two Deputy Electoral Officers (DEO) and other officials were part of this mixed-batch training programme, the EC said in a statement. The two-day programme is in line with the expansive scheme to train election functionaries at all levels, including over one lakh BLOs, in the country in the next few years. Around 2,300 participants have benefited from intensive training programmes organised in the national capital over the past few weeks. The EC's initiative of training grassroot poll workers comes amid allegations by Opposition parties of voter roll manipulation and duplication of Electoral Photo Identity Cards. 'BLOs are the first interface of the Election Commission of India with the voters, and have a vital role in ensuring correct and updated electoral rolls,' Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in his inaugural address at the training programme. The BLO supervisors are being trained through interactive sessions and role play to ensure accurate filling of various forms including Form 6, 7 and 8. The module includes practical training in the use of IT solutions. The BLO supervisors are being equipped as Assembly Level Master Trainers to train other BLOs. The participants were also familiarised with the provisions of first and second appeals against the final published electoral rolls with the District Magistrate (DM or an officer of equivalent rank) under Section 24(a) of the RP Act, 1950, and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State/U.T. under Section 24(b), respectively.
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Mayawati discusses electoral roll issues with CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi: Issues related to electoral roll revision and training of booth-level agents figured prominently during Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's interaction with Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati on Tuesday. The meeting, also attended by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi and other BSP leaders, took place at Nirvachan Sadan. It holds significance as the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is expected to be held in February-March 2027 to elect all 403 members. An official said the meeting was in continuation of the Election Commission of India's emphasis on fostering greater and regular engagement with different stakeholders. The ECI initiated interactions with national and state political parties to enable them to share their concerns and suggestions, an official said. This initiative aligns with the Commission's broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process. Earlier, a total of 4,719 all-party meetings, including 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives of political parties, were organised in March. An ECI statement said that as many as 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) held all-party meetings to resolve pending polling booth-level issues as part of the drive. Political parties and their authorised representatives, such as booth level agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents, have specific roles to play in various electoral processes, including the conduct of elections, the ECI statement said. In March, the Trinamool Congress demanded that the ECI ensure a "Unique ID" for the Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) cards in line with what is there in Aadhaar cards and passports. The Trinamool leadership also demanded a physical verification in case of those voters who had been registered online. The party also appealed to the Election Commission to rectify the existing errors related to EPIC cards before linking them with the Aadhaar cards. After the ECI decided to link voter IDs with the Aadhaar numbers, the Congress said, 'Acknowledging the Congress party's charge of suspect voter lists, the Election Commission seeks to clean it up using Aadhaar.'
