Jamshedpur: Three Afghan nationals were found enrolled in the draft electoral roll of Jamshedpur East assembly constituency during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), prompting the East Singhbhum administration to order a probe and warn of penal action.The discrepancy surfaced during verification of documents submitted by electors. Officials grew suspicious about the citizenship status of the three men and issued notices directing them to produce documents proving their eligibility for inclusion in the electoral roll.The men — Asil Khan, 47, Mohammad Aslam, 41, and Mohammad Ibrahim, 44 — submitted their passports during a hearing on Aug 25. Scrutiny of the documents confirmed that they were Afghan citizens, officials said.All three were registered at booth number 286 in Hindustani Sangh Middle School in Tuiladungri, Golmuri. Khan’s name appeared at serial number 30, Aslam’s at 31 and Ibrahim’s at 33.Dhalbhum SDM Arnab Mishra said that penal action would be initiated after the probe was completed. He said the inquiry would determine how their names were added and identify lapses in verification.“Lapses pertaining to the enrolment of the three foreign nationals will be probed, and necessary measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring. Penal action will also be taken against them in accordance with Election Commission guidelines,” Mishra said.Sources said booth level officers had been instructed to strictly verify documents submitted by applicants as proof of nationality during the SIR exercise, particularly when passports were furnished.State BJP spokesperson Abhay Singh said the case supported the party’s concerns over ineligible names in electoral rolls. He urged Jamshedpur West electoral registration officer and ADM Anurag Tiwari to conduct thorough verification in the constituency, citing its sizeable minority population.Officials said the names of the three men would be removed from the rolls after due process.
