Police said the the accused, Suraj Patil, was making photocopies of SIR forms. Image for representation only
| Photo Credit: Ramakrishna G.
Five booth-level officers (BLOs) have been suspended after a local BJP worker was caught on Thursday (August 27, 2026) photocopying more than 3,400 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral forms containing voter details at a shop in Navi Mumbai.
A case was filed on the morning of August 28, a senior Kharghar police official said.
According to District Collector Kishan Jawale, the Electoral Registration Office received a complaint that the accused, Suraj Patil, was making photocopies of SIR forms.
“Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were sent to investigate the complaint, where they caught Patil making illegal photocopies of 3,400 enumeration forms at a photocopy centre in Sector 19, Kharghar. The EROs registered the crime at Kharghar police station,” Mr. Jawale said.
Five BLOs who were responsible for handing these enumeration forms to Mr. Patil have also been suspended, he said.
Kharghar police rushed to the scene and took the alleged BJP office-bearer into custody. All the printed enumeration forms were seized from the premises and taken to the police station.
According to police, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers confronted the man and claimed he was an office-bearer of the BJP’s Youth Wing. The seized documents consisted of authentic SIR forms from the 188 Panvel assembly constituency, containing voters’ photographs, personal details, and official BLO signatures.
The Kharghar police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Mr. Patil under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Representation of the People Act.
Mr. Patil was detained and served a notice as per standard legal procedure before being released, police said.
Sena (UBT) workers alleged that Mr. Patil managed to flee the Kharghar police station shortly after being brought in for questioning. The incident triggered a clash between Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP activists.
Opposition leaders cry foul
Shiv Sena (UBT) office-bearer Balesh Bhojane questioned how SIR forms filled out by ordinary voters reached private individuals and alleged that BJP youth wing functionaries were connected with the incident.
However, Panvel Municipal Corporation Mayor and BJP leader Nitin Patil claimed that party workers had no connection with the matter.
Opposition NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said suspension of the BLOs was not enough and alleged that the incident exposed the manner in which the SIR process was being conducted.
“We have been saying that the BJP is using this process to ensure its poll victory and this incident proves us right,” he said.
Mr. Pawar alleged he had sought a response from the Election Commission over the incident, but the authorities had passed the responsibility to the Election Commission of India.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – August 29, 2026 08:05 am IST
