Bengaluru, July 3 (IANS) The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), V. Anbu Kumar, on Friday sought a report from the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner regarding the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at a marriage hall and the alleged violation of Election Commission guidelines.
The action came a day after Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy released a purported video claiming to expose large-scale “irregularities” in the revision of electoral rolls.
Sharing the development with IANS, CEO Kumar said he has instructed the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner to submit a report.
“Following the incident, the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner, who is also the District Election Officer (DEO), visited the spot. He will submit a report, and further action will be taken,” Anbu Kumar said.
In addition, officials confirmed that the Election Commission has taken the issue seriously and directed that immediate action be taken against any officials found to have violated the prescribed guidelines during the SIR process.
The directions include issuing notices to the officials who organised the SIR camp at the marriage hall, allegedly in violation of election rules, and initiating an immediate enquiry into the matter. The Deputy Commissioner has also been asked to submit a detailed enquiry report without delay.
According to Election Commission officials, strict disciplinary action will be initiated against the officials concerned if the enquiry establishes that the prescribed rules and procedures were violated.
The controversy erupted after Kumaraswamy, addressing an emergency press conference at the Janata Dal (Secular) state headquarters, JP Bhavan, on Thursday, and displaying a purported video, alleged that instead of Booth Level Officers carrying out mandatory door-to-door verification, thousands of people hailing from one religion had been gathered at a convention hall in Tippu Nagar in Ramanagara to facilitate the SIR process.
He demanded the immediate suspension of the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner and action against officials allegedly responsible for dereliction of duty.
The Union Minister further alleged that the exercise was being carried out under the direct influence of the Chief Minister and claimed that attempts were being made to create documents for “thousands of bogus voters.”
Urging the Election Commission of India to intervene immediately, Kumaraswamy said the purported videos reflected the “deteriorating state of democracy.”
“Looking at these videos, one can understand where our democracy is heading. This is the kind of shameful act being carried out by a party that publicly displays the Constitution in one hand. It is misleading people by suggesting that they will lose government guarantee scheme benefits and is carrying out this exercise,” he alleged.
Kumaraswamy also accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of misusing his office by allegedly linking the SIR exercise with the state’s guarantee schemes.
“The SIR process began from the Chief Minister’s residence. As the Chief Minister, he should have appealed to people to cooperate with the process in accordance with official procedures. Instead, he should not have blackmailed people by saying they would not receive government benefits if they were not included in the voters’ list. Such conduct is inappropriate for a Chief Minister,” he alleged.
He further claimed that fear of losing benefits under the state’s guarantee schemes was being used to influence people during the SIR exercise and described the episode as a complete administrative failure, alleging that officials had succumbed to pressure from the ruling party and violated the law.
The Union Minister also alleged that facilitating documentation for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants amounted to an act against the nation’s interests.
Kumaraswamy said he would submit the purported video and other material to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Election Commission of India, urging the poll panel to suspend the ongoing SIR process in Ramanagara and take action against the officials allegedly responsible for the irregularities.
The Election Commission’s enquiry is now expected to ascertain whether the conduct of the SIR exercise at the marriage hall violated the prescribed guidelines and whether disciplinary action is warranted against the officials involved.
–IANS
mka/rad