BLO teacher suspended for removing names of 26 Hindus from voter list

The administration has taken strict action in a serious case of tampering with the voter list in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. Nafis Mohammad Khan, an assistant teacher serving as the Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Mohammadpur village under the Shergarh police station area, has been suspended with immediate effect. He faces serious allegations of illegally removing the names of 26 Hindu voters from the voter list.

According to reports, Rahul Gangwar, the current Pradhan of Mohammadpur, had lodged a complaint regarding this entire scam on the Chief Minister's portal. The complaint stated that Nafis Mohammad Khan, an assistant teacher posted at the Composite School Mohammadpur, had been assigned the responsibility of preparing the voter list. It is alleged that Nafis Mohammad Khan colluded with the former Pradhan and, driven by communal hatred and a sense of revenge, removed the names of 26 Hindu voters from the list.

It was further mentioned in the report that since the upcoming Pradhani elections were near, every single vote held significance. Therefore, with the intention of benefiting specific individuals, the teacher cleverly removed these names. When the villagers became aware of this manipulation, widespread anger spread in the village, and a written complaint was submitted to the administration.

Bareilly District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Singh took immediate cognizance of the matter, considering its gravity. He constituted a three-member inquiry committee to conduct a deep investigation into the incident, which included the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the Block Development Officer (BDO). This committee conducted a thorough investigation into the entire matter.

According to an NDTV India report, during the investigation, BLO Nafis Mohammad Khan could not provide any concrete evidence or justification for striking off the names of 26 voters. Based on this, the inquiry committee found him prima facie guilty of wrongfully removing the names. After the allegations were proven true in this preliminary probe, the Basic Education Department suspended the accused teacher.

Furthermore, the Basic Education Department has appointed Bhanu Shankar Gangwar, the Section Education Officer of Fatehganj West, as the investigating officer. A detailed report has been sought from him within 15 days. Although the process of suspending the teacher has been completed, a more detailed investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

This incident has sparked political and social debate at the local level, as questions have been raised regarding transparency and fairness in the electoral process. The administration has clarified that no irregularity in the voter list will be tolerated and legal proceedings will continue.