Ranchi: FIRs were lodged against four allegedly ineligible applicants and a common service centre (CSC) operator in Sahibganj district on Saturday for allegedly using forged residential certificates to seek inclusion in the electoral rolls.The action followed an inspection by chief electoral officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar on the first day of his four-day tour of Santhal Pargana. The visit is aimed at verifying complaints linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.According to the CEO’s office, Rubeda Bewa, Rabi Sheikh, Pintu Sheikh and Sentu Sheikh, all residents of Ahut village in Barharwa block under Pakur assembly constituency, allegedly submitted forged residential certificates with their voter enrolment applications.An FIR was also lodged against CSC operator Mohammed Salim for allegedly preparing and supplying the forged documents, the CEO’s office said.Kumar visited the applicants’ residences and examined records related to their enrolment requests. He directed election officials to closely scrutinise all suspicious applications and verify supporting documents in line with prescribed norms.Officials were told to ensure that document verification was carried out carefully and that no applicant was added to the rolls without meeting eligibility requirements and completing checks mandated under the revision process.Warning that the integrity of electoral rolls could not be compromised, Kumar said strict legal action would be taken against those seeking enrolment through forged documents and people facilitating such attempts.“The objective of the SIR is to include every eligible Indian citizen while preventing the enrolment of ineligible or foreign individuals,” he said.During the tour, Kumar will visit Sahibganj, Godda, Dumka and Deoghar districts. He will verify complaints and suspicious cases related to the revision exercise and review its progress with district election officials.
