13k Pilibhit voter details changed, UP CEO calls it a ‘deliberate crime’

An FIR has been filed against two SDMs and a voter registration operator due to allegations of fraudulent voter roll modifications (Representative image)PILIBHIT: Following an FIR against 2 SDMs/EROs - Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary - and an outsourced voter registration centre operator Anil Kumar over alleged rigging of voter rolls in 127-Pilibhit assembly seat, UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa on Friday told TOI "it was not a case of error or negligence but it was a crime done deliberately".Earlier in the day, district magistrate Alok Kumar recommended to UP principal secretary to initiate departmental probe against the SDMs. The row involves "unauthorised changes" to at least 13,150 electors' particulars in the constituency, which saw a close contest in the 2022 state polls.The action came after the DM, who took office recently, received approval from State Election Commission.Both SDMs were attached to district headquarters, while Kumar’s services were terminated with immediate effect.Additional DM Prasoon Dwivedi told TOI that a recommendation had been sent to remove the two SDMs from Pilibhit to prevent them from influencing the probe.State’s appointment and personnel department will issue further directions, Dwivedi added.An FIR was lodged Thursday under BNS Section 201 and Section 32 of Representation of the People Act following a complaint by assistant district electoral officer Krishna Kashyap.He said complaints about voter list discrepancies prompted an inquiry, which found errors, with names differing against EPIC numbers on the portal.Congress functionary Kumud Gangwar said he would seek a CBI or judicial probe.