ECI orders probe after suspected Afghan nationals found on Jharkhand electoral roll

JAMSHEDPUR: A major political controversy has erupted in Jharkhand after official communications revealed that names of suspected Afghan nationals were discovered on the local voter lists. The discovery was made during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 process conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Leaked official emails from the Regional Passport Office (RPO) Ranchi show immediate administrative action being taken against the individuals. According to the documents, the names of MD Ibrahim and Mahammad Aslam were flagged under the Jamshedpur East Assembly constituency (AC-48, Part-286).

Their electoral details were listed at serial numbers 31 and 33 respectively. A third individual, identified as Asil Khan at serial number 30, is also reportedly under investigation. The official correspondence shows that the RPO Ranchi has actively intervened. In the case of MD Ibrahim, the passport has been revoked due to his status as a “suspected Afghani National as per database/records.” For Mahammad Aslam, the passport office has officially noted that “Revoke Processing [has been] Initiated” under the same security grounds.

The emails, forwarded from Rajiv Ranjan at the District Collector’s Office in Jamshedpur to local electoral officers, carry an urgent directive. The authority has demanded a rigorous verification of the underlying physical documents. They requested a formal response within five working days to maintain the integrity of the ongoing SIR 2026 database purification drive.

This security breach has triggered fierce pushback from opposition parties in the state. They are demanding an immediate audit into how foreign nationals managed to acquire local state identification and enroll in the database. Security agencies are now working closely with the passport office and district administration to track how the documentation was processed. Local police authorities are investigating potential local facilitators who may have aided the illegal listings.