Belagavi, Oct. 3: An FIR has been registered against Karnataka BJP leader Ravi Patil and others over an alleged attempt to seek deletion of 198 Muslim voters’ names from the electoral roll during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The case was registered at Belagavi Market police station on September 30 following a complaint by Meerasab Sanadi, who was working as a BJP Booth Level Agent in Ward No. 12 of the Belagavi North Assembly constituency. Police said the complaint alleged misuse of Form-7 applications and forged documents.
According to the FIR, Sanadi alleged that Patil, Shankar Beerappa Naik, Prashant Deepak Mundinmani and around 20 to 25 others assembled on September 22 while he was assisting the Booth Level Officer with voter verification.
The complaint alleged that the group attempted to target Muslim voters and sought deletion of 198 names from the electoral roll. It further alleged that fake documents were prepared and submitted to the BLO while being presented as documents issued by the Electoral Registration Officer.
Form-7 is the prescribed application used to raise an objection to the inclusion of a name or seek deletion of a name from an existing electoral roll.
Karnataka BJP Leader Booked | FIRs Registered in Multiple Karnataka Districts
Sanadi also alleged that the Form-7 applications contained the names of him and his family members. The complaint further alleged that pressure was put on the BLO and that another person spoke over the phone while claiming to be the ERO.
Police registered the Belagavi case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections relating to cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, common intention, public mischief and unlawful assembly. The investigation is continuing.
A separate FIR was registered in Bidar after businessman and voter Mohammed Ateeq Ahmed alleged that 3,244 voters, including himself, were falsely shown as “shifted/absent” through Form-7 applications during the SIR exercise. The FIR registered on October 1 names 32 accused persons, according to reports.
In Mysuru, social worker Syed Hasarath Ulla alleged that Form-7 applications were submitted claiming that he and his family were no longer residing at their registered address.
Following his complaint, Narasimharaja police registered a case against Harish Kumar C, Raghavendra M, Anil Thomas, identified in reports as a BJP minority president, and others. The complaint alleged an attempt to delete the names of the complainant, his family and other members of the Muslim community.
In Ballari, another FIR was registered following a complaint alleging that 7,561 Form-7 applications were submitted seeking deletion of voter names. The case reportedly names a BJP Booth Level Agent and Ballari City Corporation corporator among those accused.
Similar allegations have also emerged from Dakshina Kannada, where Congress leader Rakshith Shivaram alleged that 279 Form-7 applications were submitted across 16 polling stations in Belthangady constituency. He claimed that 82 applications involved Muslim voters in Ujire. No FIR had been registered in that matter at the time of the report.
The allegations have become part of a wider political dispute over Karnataka’s ongoing SIR exercise. The Election Commission has sought reports from district authorities on complaints concerning alleged irregularities in the voter-roll revision process.
The allegations in the FIRs remain subject to police investigation. The registration of a case does not establish the guilt of the accused.
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