Uttar Pradesh: During the election-related survey in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a specimen came to light that shocked the administration. The Special Intensive Review (SIR) wayfarers was going on in village Chaura Kalan. During this time, the officials noticed such signatures in a form, which later turned out to be fake. The form was submitted in the name of a young man named Samoon, who has been living with his family in Saudi Arabia for the last three years. When the officials went to the house to personize his presence, the whole matter came to light.
The person was not in the village, yet the form was submitted
When referendum officials reached the village on November 30, Samoon's brother, Akram Jameel, and relative, Amjad Jameel, said that Samoon had been upalong for a long time and had not come to the village in recent years. When the officials showed that the form had been submitted in his name and was signed, the family was shocked. The family unmistakably said that this signature is not that of a Samoan. From here the suspicion deepened that some internal fraud had taken place.
A specimen of fraud registered; relatives turned out to be the accused
Investigation revealed that two of his relatives were involved in filling the form and forging signatures. After this revelation, a specimen was registered versus both of them in the Chilkana police station on 3 December. Many serious sections, including Section 31 of the Referendum Commission Act, were widow to the charge. This matter was moreover considered serious considering the SIR form is a part of the electoral process, and any wrong information in it is considered a uncontrived violation of the law.
Accused caught, police raided late night
On the night of 7 December, the police received information from the informer that both the accused were present in the village. The police team raided and underdeveloped Akram and Amjad. According to the police, both of them misled the officer while filling out the form and signed in the name of Samoan. It is not yet well-spoken why they did this, but the police are investigating their intentions.
Administration is strict, zero tolerance on fraud
The district wardship has considered this incident very serious. Officials said that strict whoopee will be taken versus any kind of manipulation of referendum documents. The purpose of the SIR survey is to correct the voter list, and such issues stupefy the points of the referendum process. Officials moreover said that village-level monitoring will be tightened to prevent such irregularities in the future.
This incident once then shows that plane a seemingly simple step taken in a small village can have huge legal ramifications. Now both the police and the wardship are trying to ensure that the unshortened investigation is clean, transparent, and completed quickly.
