Thousands of SIR Forms Seized from Kharghar Photocopy Shop After Sena-BJP Clash
Thousands of printed Summary Revision (SIR) forms were seized from a photocopy shop in Kharghar on Friday, triggering a clash between activists from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, alongside allegations concerning the voter list revision process.
The incident began when Shiv Sena (UBT) workers confronted a man, whom they identified as an office-bearer of the BJP's Youth Wing, allegedly getting official SIR forms photocopied at a local shop. The confrontation led to tensions between workers of both political groups.
Local police arrived at the scene and took the alleged BJP office-bearer into custody. Officers also seized thousands of printed SIR forms from the shop premises and moved them to the police station for further inquiry.
Following the detention, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers alleged that the youth leader managed to flee the Kharghar police station shortly after being brought in for questioning. A Navi Mumbai police officer confirmed that local police are investigating the matter, though no formal case had been registered at the time.
Local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Balesh Bhojne demanded a strict investigation into how such a large volume of official electoral forms ended up in private hands and why they were being copied in bulk.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the development raised serious concerns regarding the transparency of the ongoing voter list revision exercise. He alleged that the SIR exercise was being misused to prepare ground for future elections, noting that the Kharghar incident confirmed prior apprehensions.
Pawar also stated that he sought a response from election authorities and noted reports indicating that four Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had been suspended in connection with the incident. He questioned whether penalising only lower-level staff was sufficient.
Pawar demanded that authorities who issued instructions to the BLOs should also face suspension, along with strict action against the political workers involved, adding that further unchecked instances could exist across the region.
