Pakistani national with voter ID found in Bihar's SIR

A Pakistani woman who entered India in 1956 has been found on the electoral rolls in Bihar, verified during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, news agency ANI reported on Sunday. The Home Ministry has begun an investigation and initiated the process to remove her from the voter list.  

Booth Level Officer (BLO) Farzana Khanam said she received instructions from the department to act on the case. "I received a letter from the department with her passport number, which I cross-checked. We have been asked to remove her name. Her name is Imrana Khanam. She was not in a condition to talk; she is old and unwell. As per the orders of the department, I filled out the form and began the process of removing her name,” Khanam told ANI.  

"Her passport is of 1956, and she got her visa in 1958. She is from Pakistan. The next step of the investigation will be carried out by the department. I had received a notice from the Home Ministry on 11 August," the BLO added.   

The case came to light during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, which ran from June 24 to July 25, followed by publication of the draft rolls on August 1. The period for claims, objections, and document submissions is currently underway until September 1.  

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the drive has seen widespread participation. As per data from the CEO Bihar, documents of 98.2% of electors have been received within 60 days of the exercise, averaging 1.64% per day.

"There are still 8 days to go till 1 September with just 1.8% electors remaining for submission of the documents. The exercise to collect their documents with the help of BLOs and volunteers is going on. Thus, just like collection of Enumeration forms, work related to collection of documents is also likely to be completed before time," the commission said on Sunday.  

The verification of documents, as mandated under the SIR order of June 24, 2025, is also in progress.