VIJAYAPURA: Jalanagar and Gandhi Chowk police have registered separate FIRs against Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and BJP corporator Girish Patil over allegations of submitting fake documents and false information to get the names of living voters deleted from the electoral roll during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
In the first case, Jalanagar police registered an FIR on October 8 against MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal based on a complaint filed by Abdulrazak Moulasab Bagawan, 50, a vegetable trader and resident of Bagawan Colony in Vijayapura.
According to the FIR, Abdulrazak said he was a registered voter in Vijayapura City Assembly Constituency No. 30. He alleged that, despite being alive, a false death certificate was submitted to the Vijayapura City Corporation along with a letter purportedly issued on the MLA’s official letterhead, stating that he had died.
The alleged submission took place on September 3 and was intended to facilitate the deletion of his name from the electoral roll, the complaint stated.
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Section 318(4) deals with aggravated cheating involving dishonest or fraudulent inducement; Section 336(3) covers forgery committed with the intention of cheating; and Section 340(2) deals with knowingly using a forged document or electronic record as genuine.
In the second case, Gandhi Chowk police registered an FIR on October 6 against BJP corporator and Yatnal supporter Girish Patil, based on a complaint filed by Javeed Jakirahmed Indikar, 32, a businessman and resident of Vijayapura.
Javeed alleged that although he was a permanent resident and eligible voter of Ward No. 30, Girish Patil submitted Form 7 to the Booth Level Officer seeking deletion of his name, falsely claiming that he was not residing at the given address. The application was allegedly supported by fabricated documents.
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 336(4), 340(2), 192, 196(1), 196(2), 353(2) and 61(2) of the BNS. Besides provisions relating to cheating and forgery, Sections 192, 196(1) and 196(2) deal with acts promoting enmity or disharmony between groups; Section 353(2) concerns the circulation of statements or rumours likely to promote hostility or public alarm; and Section 61(2) relates to criminal conspiracy.
Police have launched investigations into both cases and are examining the alleged documents and the circumstances surrounding the applications seeking deletion of the voters’ names.
The cases come amid the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Vijayapura City, where allegations have been raised over attempts to delete the names of eligible voters using questionable documents.
