Suryakant Dhasmana raises the issue of conspiracy to delete Muslim voters’ names during SIR, demand intervention by Chief Electoral Officer

Suryakant Dhasmana raises the issue of conspiracy to delete Muslim voters’ names during SIR, demand intervention by Chief Electoral Officer

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, August 27

Amidst concern over exclusion of eligible voters in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR),  Suryakant Dhasmana, Senior Vice President of the State Congress and AICC member, has submitted a detailed memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer Dr. B.V.R.C Purushottam of Uttarakhand today, demanding immediate intervention regarding serious irregularities occurring during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and alleged conspiracy to deliberately delete the names of Muslim voters in the state. The Chief electoral Officer assured to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Kamla Pant, a founding member of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, has submitted a letter to the SDM (Sadar) in Dehradun, expressing serious concern regarding the functioning of the district election machinery during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

Dhasmana took along Mohammad Aleem and his wife Khasheen Farooqui—residents of Turner Road, Dehradun, and members of prominent families settled in the city since pre-partition times—whose applications are being repeatedly rejected for inclusion in the voters’ list. Their names have appeared on electoral rolls as far back as 2003. Mr. Aleem is the cousin of Dr. S. Farooq of Himalayan Wellness, and Mrs. Khasheen Farooqui is the granddaughter of the renowned Hakim Rafat Hussain Farooqui, a senior Congress leader in Dehradun since the pre-partition era. The couple merely shifted from Lane C-26 to Lane C-24 within the same assembly constituency.

Dhasmana told the Chief Electoral officer that this was not an isolated incident. According to an investigative report by “News Laundry” web portal, just five individuals filed approximately 6,500 ‘Form-7’ applications (objections seeking the deletion of names) across five assembly constituencies in Udham Singh Nagar district—Kichha, Gadarpur, Khatima, Nanakmatta, and Rudrapur—with Muslim voters being the specific targets in all these instances.

The figures are startling:

– In Kichha, 4,855 out of 4,857 objections were filed by a single individual, Rajesh Tiwari (BJP BLA).

– In Gadarpur, 670 objections were filed by one individual, accounting for 49% of the total.

– In Khatima, 392 out of 394 objections were filed by Amit Kumar Pandey.

– In Nanakmatta, 353 out of 391 objections were filed by Kishore Joshi.

– In Rudrapur, 230 objections were filed by Sunny Paswan. According to the report, all these individuals are affiliated with the BJP.

Dhasmana demanded that a fresh, transparent inquiry be conducted into the case of the Mohammad Aleem  and wife, an independent review be carried out regarding the 6,500 objections filed in bulk across five assembly constituencies, no names be deleted without a field verification by

Their representation by the couple to the electoral authorities states: “We have lived in the constituency for a significant period, and our family has historical ties to the region, as evidenced by our names appearing in the 2003 electoral roll.”

They have further pointed out that their recent change of residence is merely a change of address within the same vicinity and does not alter their Assembly constituency.

In these circumstances, repeated rejection of their applications, despite documentary evidence and their established presence in the electoral roll of 2003, raises legitimate questions regarding the manner in which their claims have been examined and the reasons for rejection, he added.

Surykant Dhasmana said that the concern is not merely political. It goes to the fundamental principle that every eligible citizen, irrespective of religion or community, must have an equal opportunity to remain on the electoral roll and exercise the constitutional right to participate in elections.

Kamala Pant stated that she received a message in English on her mobile phone, instructing her to contact the district election office at 11:30 AM on August 26 to register her name in the voter list under the SIR process. She remarked that it is natural for such a procedure to cause confusion and anxiety among lakhs of ordinary citizens—particularly the illiterate, the less educated, and those unable to read or comprehend English text messages.

Kamala Pant remarked that if she—whose husband, Nandan Pandey, served as the Director of Education (the most senior official in the Education Department)—has to undergo such an ordeal, then such a process can hardly be considered acceptable for the average Indian citizen. In this context, the manner in which people are being treated in the name of the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process is a matter of serious concern.

The Uttarakhand Mahila Manch has demanded that the District and State Election Officers address this matter with sensitivity and immediately resolve the issues faced by the concerned citizens. They further demanded assurances that, during the SIR process, no eligible voter’s name is arbitrarily removed from the electoral roll.

On the other hand, taking cognizance of the complaint and suggestions submitted by RTI and human rights activist Advocate Nadeem Uddin regarding the misuse of Form 7—specifically the filing of false, forged, and anonymous objections—the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Uttarakhand, has directed the District Magistrates and District Election Officers of six districts to examine the matter and take effective action. A copy of the letter containing Mr. Nadeem’s complaint and suggestions was also enclosed with these directives.

Nadeem Uddin (Advocate)—a Kashipur-based RTI and human rights activist, social worker, and author of 45 legal books—had submitted a complaint and suggestions to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttarakhand. He requested effective action to curb the trend and incidents of misusing Form 7 to file incorrect, false, forged, and anonymous objections.

Kishan Singh Negi, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of Uttarakhand, issued a letter (No. 1416, dated August 20, 2026) to the District Magistrates and District Election Officers of the six districts reporting a high volume of objections. The letter directs them to examine the points raised by Mr. Nadeem and instruct the concerned Electoral Registration Officers to strictly adhere to the prescribed procedures—under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the Manual of Electoral Rolls, 2023—as well as the Commission’s periodic instructions regarding the receipt and disposal of claims and objections. The districts whose District Magistrates and District Election Officers have received the said letter include Haridwar, Pithoragarh, Almora, Champawat, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.

In the complaint and suggestions submitted on August 18, 2026,  Nadeem requested effective action—including the dismissal of unverified objections; the adjudication of verified objections by seeking evidence from the objector and providing the person against whom the objection was raised an opportunity to present their side; and the filing of criminal cases against those lodging fake or *benami* (anonymous/proxy) objections. Nadeem also detailed the offences committed by individuals filing such fake, ‘benami’, and incorrect objections. These include offenses punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950; Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act; and Sections 61, 217, 221, 196(1)/411(2), 229(1)/421(2), and 336(1)/441(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.