Tension erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district after villagers in Ameenabad Bada Gaon discovered an alleged attempt to remove nearly 200 names from the voters’ list, most of them belonging to the Muslim community, during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The issue surfaced in Ameenabad village, which falls under the Kithore assembly constituency, after residents reached the local polling booth to check and correct their voter details. Villagers claimed that pre-filled Form 7 applications were submitted to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) seeking deletion of around 200 voters. They alleged that nearly 60 living residents were falsely shown as dead or migrated in these forms.
As the matter came to light, angry residents gathered at the Ameenabad primary school, where the booth is located, and staged a protest. A video of the protest, showing bundles of Form 7 applications, later went viral on social media.
Former village pradhan Talib Chaudhary told The Times of India the forms were allegedly submitted by a local man. “Manveer, a villager associated with the BJP, gave at least 200 Form 7 applications to the BLO asking for removal of names,” he told reporters. “When I checked the forms, I was shocked. Many people were marked as dead or migrated, but they are alive and living in the village.”
Another resident, Mohd Ayaz, said his name was wrongly shown as migrated. “I am living here, my family is here. When I questioned Manveer, he blamed the BLO,” he said.
BLO Mohd Zafar, who is also an assistant teacher at the village primary school, said he received the forms from Manveer. “He gave me the forms, but when I asked for his Aadhaar card, he refused,” Zafar said. “I have assured villagers that no valid voter names will be deleted.”
Meerut District Magistrate V K Singh acknowledged serious lapses and ordered a probe. “It is not clear from where the Form 7 applications were procured,” he said. “People were gathered at the booth in a manner that disturbed the electoral process. I want to assure everyone that no genuine voter will lose their right.”
He said that not a single Form 7 had been approved and that deletion of names requires a legal process, including a mandatory hearing period. “No action can be taken without due procedure,” Singh said.
Following an inquiry conducted by the Electoral Registration Officer of the Kithore constituency, the District Magistrate suspended the Booth Level Officer. According to the investigation report, the BLO collected more than 200 Form 7 applications without informing senior officials and allowed a crowd to gather at the booth, violating Election Commission guidelines.
“The BLO failed to follow procedure and polluted the electoral process,” the District Magistrate said. “He has been suspended, and a new BLO has been appointed at the booth.” The action taken has also been reported to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh.
Muslim residents said the incident has created fear and mistrust. “This looks like a planned attempt to target our community and take away our voting rights,” said a local youth. “We want strict action so this does not happen again.”
Activists and locals have demanded transparency and close monitoring of voter list revisions, especially in minority areas, warning that misuse of electoral forms poses a serious threat to democracy.
While administrative action has brought some relief, villagers said they will remain alert. “Our vote is our voice,” a protester said. “We will keep checking the voter list and will not allow anyone to erase us quietly.”
