Voter data theft in Karnataka: BBMP leaves out chief of NGO in plaint; Congress to approach EC

BBMP demands detailed probe on the alleged electoral fraud. (Pic: Twitter/BBMP Commissioner)

In the FIR, BBMP special commissioner has claimed, “A conditional approval was given to Chilume Enterprises Private Limited on December, 22, 2018. We had given a nod by asking this private entity to coordinate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to create awareness on voter list revision and to link Aadhar card with Voter ID card.”

“After we found that the Chilume had violated the conditions, we had cancelled the permission of this private entity on November 2, 2022. However, even after cancellation, Lokesh KM, connected to Chilume, without seeking any permission from BBMP has created a fake BLO identity card. Without coordinating with the officials of BBMP, he impersonated as a BLO and collected the personal information of voters and their Aadhar number.”

“After collecting the personal details, he has uploaded the same in a private application. He has misused the voter data. We appeal to the police to take legal action against the persons involved in this fraud,” Rangappa said in the FIR.

BBMP Commissioner Tweets

“Conditional permission was given to Chilume Educational, Cultural and Rural Development Organisation to carry out public awareness work under BBMP about voter list special revision 2023 activities,” said BBMP Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath in a series of Tweets.

“In the background of a complaint against the institution regarding the collection of personal information of voters, the permission letter is cancelled considering that the condition has been violated.”

“A complaint has been registered at two different police stations for recording and investigation. Further, all the four Additional District Election Officers have been instructed to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report.”

Congress has, however, accused even Giri Nath of conspiring with the BJP government to compromise on protection of voter data privacy.

ಮತದಾರರ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ವಿಶೇಷ ಪರಿಷ್ಕರಣೆ 2023 ಕಾರ್ಯಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಿವು ಮೂಡಿಸುವ ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲು ಚಿಲುಮೆ ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಸಾಂಕೃತಿಕ ಹಾಗೂ ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣಾಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗೆ ಷರತ್ತುಬದ್ಧ ಅನುಮತಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. 1/3 #BBMPElections @ECISVEEP pic.twitter.com/bTSFvIGLtV

— Tushar Giri Nath IAS (@BBMPCOMM) November 17, 2022

Siddaramaiah’s objections

Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah has taken objection to the FIR not naming Chief Minister Bommai, Minister for Higher Education CN Ashwath Narayan and Krishnappa Ravikumar, associated with Chilume, in the complaint.

In a series of tweets, he took the Bommai government to task on Friday.

“Bengaluru Police have registered a case against an agent named Lokesh, who just works with Chilume for a salary of ₹20,000 in the Operation Voter Scam. Is this 40 percent Bommai Sarkar trying to save their corrupt ministers by making ordinary employees a scapegoat,” asked Siddaramaiah.

“We demand that the high court chief justice monitor the judicial probe to expose the real culprits behind Operation Voter scam. Why is the government afraid of initiating a judicial probe? Why is Bommai in a hurry to brush the case off?” the CLP leader questioned.

“This BJP government has betrayed the people by illegally collecting their personal data. It is a blot on democracy as BJP infringes upon the privacy of innocent people. Bommai and his Cabinet should resign for cheating the people,” demanded Siddaramaiah.

DKS threatens agitation

KPCC president DK Shivakumar threatened to launch an agitation against the state government, if action is not initiated against the persons involved in alleged electoral fraud.

“The chief minister was found to be directly involved in this scam. The party will take up this issue with the officials of Election Commission of India,” tweeted Shivakumar.

Claiming that he has enough evidence to prove the involvement of BJP leaders in this scam, he said, “We have information about the people behind this scam, what they have done. The staff associated with the organisation have provided us with all the information and evidence. We have filed a complaint with the commissioner of police. We will take it up to the ECI and have decided to meet the officials of the Election Commission.”

Police launches probe

Though the complaint has been filed in two different police stations, Halasuru Gate Police are probing the incident. The cops conducted a raid on the office of Chilume in Malleswaram on Friday.

“Based on the complaint of the BBMP special commissioner, an investigation has been launched. A raid is being conducted on the office of Chilume Enterprises Private Limited. No arrests have been made connected to this case. The probe is being done from all possible angles,” a police inspector, who is a part of the investigation, told South First.