Prakash Raj alleges Form 7 used in effort to delete 21,000 Muslim voters in K’taka

Bengaluru: Veteran actor and rights activist Prakash Raj has alleged that Form 7 applications are being misused during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka to target and remove the names of around 21,000 Muslim voters.

Raj made the allegation in Hosapete while addressing his 10-day SIR Pratirodha Pravaasa, or SIR Resistance Tour. He claimed that Form 7, which is used to seek deletion of names from electoral rolls, was being exploited to target specific voters, describing the alleged exercise as an “Operation Kamala through Form 7”.

Referring to an incident in Belagavi, Raj said around 200 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters’ names had been submitted at a single polling booth. He alleged that all the voters listed in those applications were Muslims, Maktoob Media reported.

According to Raj, the forms contained the names and voter details of those whose deletion was being sought, while the details of the applicants, including their names and phone numbers, had been handwritten.

He said Booth Level Officers questioned the individuals who brought the applications, and they reportedly claimed to have received the forms from the corporation.

Raj further alleged that his team later discovered that the forms had originated from a local BJP leader who had contested an Assembly election and were allegedly received from higher levels within the party. He claimed that all the applications carried the signature of a local BJP activist, who later denied knowledge of the forms.

Raj alleged that similar efforts were underway across Karnataka to remove the names of around 21,000 Muslim voters through Form 7 applications.

As part of his tour, Raj said his team would collect complaints and documentary evidence from polling booths. He also appealed to voters who notice discrepancies in the electoral rolls to document them on their mobile phones and share the material with his team and on social media.

He said the evidence collected during the campaign would be compiled into an investigation report by September 30. According to Raj, the report and supporting material would subsequently be released at a press conference before being submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other ministers.