How Three Afghan Residents Ended Up on Indian Voter List

The Special Intensive Review (SIR) operation in Jharkhand recently highlighted a puzzling entry error in the Jamshedpur East voter list. Three individuals—Asil Khan, Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Ibrahim—were found to be Afghan passport holders yet their names were printed in the Indian electoral register.

During a document‑verification drive, election staff observed mismatched details and issued a notice requesting proof of Indian citizenship. The applicants did not comply, prompting officials to examine their passports. The passports confirmed Afghan nationality, making the entries illegal.

All three names occupy consecutive positions—30, 31 and 33—at polling station 286. They had previously completed the standard re‑verification procedure, which explains why their names were transferred to the final list before the inconsistency was uncovered.

The Election Department has launched a probe to trace the source of the erroneous entries. Investigators will assess whether any local functionary aided the registration. The department has pledged to pursue legal action against any violators and to expand verification checks across Jharkhand’s electoral rolls.