Poll roll officer assaulted for not including 'Bangladeshis' in SIR, alleges BJP

BJP alleged that a poll roll officer engaged in SIR was assaulted after refusing to include "Bangladeshis and Pakistanis" in the voters' list and demanded Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge's resignation over the incident.BJP leader said the poll roll officer was admitted to hospital with injuries to his teeth and lips, and claimed there had been attempts to suppress the incident. (Representative image)A government officer engaged in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bengaluru was allegedly assaulted by a group of around eight people after he refused to include "Bangladeshis and Pakistanis" in the voters' list, senior BJP leader S Harish claimed on Thursday.Harish, the BJP's Bengaluru North president and a former deputy mayor, demanded the resignation of Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the incident. He alleged that government officers were living in fear and also sought immediate security for officials involved in the electoral revision exercise.Addressing a press conference, Harish said superintendent-rank officer Fakirappa, who was overseeing SIR-related work at 10 booths in the Pulakeshi Nagar constituency, suffered serious injuries in the alleged assault."Fakirappa was dragged on the road and brutally assaulted. Around seven or eight persons allegedly attacked him because when they were pressuring him to include Bangladeshis and Pakistanis in the voters' list, he refused, saying, 'they are infiltrators, we cannot include them. They do not have any valid documents'," Harish alleged. Harish said Fakirappa was admitted to hospital with injuries to his teeth and lips, and claimed there had been attempts to suppress the incident."He was beaten so badly that his teeth were damaged and his lips were cut. He is so terrified that he is not even willing to speak," he said, alleging that local Muslim leaders and the local MLA had exerted pressure on the officer. He also alleged that while three persons had been arrested, several others involved in the attack had not yet been apprehended.Harish further alleged that the assailants were linked to those involved in the 2020 DJ Halli violence and accused the government of failing to act against them."These are the same people who, during the DJ Halli incident last time, attacked the police and the police station. Yet the government does nothing against them," he said.Targeting Priyank Kharge, he asked, "Today, under Priyank Kharge's Home Department, if government officials are being assaulted in broad daylight in the middle of the road, then whom is this government trying to protect?"Drawing a parallel with the Opposition's demand for former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the alleged NEET paper leak, Harish said, "just as they demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak, today our officials are being assaulted here."He added, "Priyank Kharge should resign. We, the Bharatiya Janata Party, demand his resignation."In sum, Harish said the attack on Fakirappa showed the risks faced by officials involved in electoral roll revision and repeated his call for arrests, protection for officers and the home minister's resignation.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 30, 2026 14:04 IST