ITANAGAR, May 22: The Arunachal Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC) has directed the Changlang DEO-cum-DC and the Bordumsa ERO-cum-ADC to submit the action taken report (ATR) to a complainant, in response to a complaint filed by her last year regarding forging of voter identity card by one Drishyamuni Chakma.
The APSHRC gave the direction following a complaint from one Rita Chakma that the DEO and the ERO didn’t take any action on the complaint filed by her on 1 June, 2023.
After registering the complaint, the commission directed the ERO and the DEO to “submit para-wise reply to the complaint, the entire proceedings of the hearings held on 17 August, 2023, by the ERO and the appeal heard by the DEO on 15 February this year, and also to explain why the commission
should not recommend appropriate inquiry against the ERO and DEO within 15 days.”
“If no reply is received, the commission shall be constrained to take coercive steps u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, calling for personal appearance before the commission for submission of the report,” the APSHRC said in a release.
According to the complainant, the APSHRC said, Drishyamuni Chakma had shifted to Bordumsa-Diyun constituency in 2022, and fraudulently obtained a voter identity card (UBV2587045) without providing any proof of residence.
The complainant said that “Drishyamuni Chakma is the only voter in Avoipur village who does not have a house number because he is not a resident of Avoipur village.”
She further stated that, as for the enrollment as a new voter under ‘Form No 6: Application Form for New Voters’ issued by the Election Commission of India, two sets of documents have to be mandatorily provided by a person transferring or making a new voter ID, ie, document for proof of residence, and the details of the applicant’s family member(s) already included in the electoral roll at the current address with whom the applicant currently resides, including the name of the family member(s), relationship with applicant, and his/her EPIC number.
“As neither Drishyamuni Chakma nor any of his family members is a resident of Avoipur village, as required under Form No. 6, he could not provide any proof regarding his residence, including house number and therefore, he fraudulently obtained the voter ID,” the complainant said.
She further stated that, as per voter ID records, Drishyamuni Chakma is the son of one Nilo Chandra Chakma, a resident of Kurbalavasora village, under Chawngte post office in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram.
“Therefore, he entered Arunachal Pradesh in violation of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873,” the complainant said.
The complainant further said that on 19 June, 2023, the chief electoral officer (CEO) directed the Changlang DEO to take appropriate actions against Drishyamuni Chakma.
“On 23 August, 2023, the ERO-cum-ADC of Bordumsa heard the complaint by summoning Drishyamuni Chakma and Arvind Chakma, headman of Avoipur village, but no decision was taken as on date and Drishyamuni Chakma was included into the electoral roll of 2024, dated 05.01.2024, with the same false data,” the complainant said.
The complainant further stated that on 22 January, she had filed an appeal with the CEO under Section 26 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 against illegal inclusion of Drishyamuni Chakma into the 2024 electoral roll. Her appeal was heard by the deputy commissioner on 15 February this year. But no decision was taken on her appeal too as on date, the complainant said.
“Consequently, Drishyamuni Chakma filed his nomination as an MLA candidate of 49-Bordumsa-Diyun Assembly constituency with the forged voter ID,” the complaint said.
