- 6 months ago
The top focus of this episode of News Today is an exclusive India Today special investigation that delves into the ground reality of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your primetime destination news.
00:06Newsmakers talking points here on the news today. Tuesday night, our big talking point is an exclusive.
00:13Bihar's electoral truth on India today. Explosive India Today investigation that looks into the way the electoral roles in Bihar are being worked on during the special intensive revision.
00:29We'll have an exclusive report on that, plus plenty more on a packed news day.
00:34So let's get cracking with the nine headlines at nine minutes.
00:39India Today's Bihar files exposes ground reality amidst electoral roll revision row.
00:45Villagers discover names missing despite having voted in 2024.
00:51Allegations of deliberate targeting over language and religion.
00:55Many block level officers admit the deadlines being imposed on them are unrealistic.
01:00Collecting the forms now without necessary documents.
01:06India's Space Zero Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returns to Earth after an 18 day mission.
01:12Dragon module makes picture perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
01:16Juvenile Justice Board denies police permission to try killer brat as adult in Porsche hit-and-run case in Pune.
01:27The drunk teen had killed couple on a bike in 2024.
01:3020-year-old Torissa College student succumbs to injuries after self-emolation following alleged sexual harassment by a professor of a college.
01:42Opposition calls for a band in protest, targets the chief minister and the home minister.
01:47Major relief in Nimisha Priya case.
01:53Last-minute negotiations postpone Kerala nurses' execution in Yemen.
01:58Nimisha has been convicted of murder in Yemen.
02:04Supreme Court seeks UP and Uttarakhand government's reply on QR code order for Kaur Yatra root eateries.
02:11State government to file response by July 22nd.
02:14External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
02:23India tells China to avoid trade restrictions and roadblocks.
02:28Elon Musk's Tesla debuts in India.
02:31World's third largest auto market EV giant's first showroom in Mumbai.
02:38And new security reports as Trump asked Zelensky if Ukraine could hit Moscow.
02:43Trump also discussed sending Ukraine U.S.-made missiles.
02:48But tonight, our top focus is an India Today special investigation.
03:08For the last fortnight, headlines have suggested that the Election Commission's special intensive revision in Bihar,
03:16by which electoral rolls in Bihar are being redrawn, has generated plenty of political controversy.
03:24The exercise ahead of the Bihar elections later this year is, according to the Election Commission,
03:30aimed to verify all the voters of Bihar with documentation.
03:34The drive launched this month has set a deadline of July 25th for submission of the enumeration forms by voters.
03:42And the entire process of verification by the EC has to end by the 30th of September.
03:47During this period, over 7.775 crore voters will be verified.
03:52But what is causing fear, concern among the voters is that the most common documents that people have,
04:00Aadhaar, voter card, ration cards, are not being accepted as proof.
04:04The Supreme Court has even suggested to the EC to include these.
04:09The criticism also is that the two-month period is a very short window for many,
04:14including migrants, to submit the required documents.
04:16The opposition is claiming 2 to 2.5 crore voters of Bihar could be disenfranchised
04:23and calling it VoteBandi, where it appears that the government is going ahead with a scheme
04:29that could actually be an assault on our democracy.
04:33The Election Commission, however, claims that the drive is to remove the deceased,
04:37duplicate entries and non-residents from the list.
04:41The EC also claims it will prevent illegal migrants from being enrolled.
04:45In effect, though, the revision, according to some, including BJP allies like the TDP,
04:52say, could end up as a citizenship test or NRC by the backdoor.
04:57Either way, the truth needs to be told.
05:00Therefore, that's what we are going to do today.
05:03The Election Commission has claimed it has collected 86.32% of the forms from voters in Bihar already.
05:10It adds that over 6 crore forms have been uploaded on the server.
05:14But the truth is, on the ground, there is immense pressure on the Booth-level officers
05:19to meet the July 25th enumeration form deadline.
05:24Our correspondent, Shreya Chatterjee, on the ground, in her reality check,
05:29found that voters at many places are complaining that many of the BLOs are filling up forms,
05:34but not even visiting their locations.
05:36Online submission of the forms is also proving to be a challenge.
05:41And in many cases, signatures are being taken without even the documents available.
05:47The truth of the Bihar files in this ground report by Shreya Chatterjee.
05:52There's a clear rush to meet the deadline.
06:00Faced with scrutiny and criticism from the opposition,
06:03the special intensive revision of the voter roll has now been simplified.
06:10Booth-level officers are trying to get maximum forms uploaded,
06:14even where there are no supporting documents available.
06:17In Hajipur, most people are now eagerly participating,
06:22irrespective of their age.
06:28Roughly an hour's drive away from Hajipur,
06:30India today reaches another key constituency of Bihar,
06:34Muzaffarpur.
06:35We are now in a BLO,
06:38in Bihar,
06:40in Bihar,
06:40in Bihar.
06:41You can see that BLO,
06:43BLO,
06:43BLO Supervisor,
06:44who are here,
06:45who are here,
06:46who are here,
06:47who are here,
06:49who are working on this form.
06:50This is a very important thing,
06:52that this is a BLO,
06:54where the most form is now,
06:56is now submitted.
06:57foreign
07:27The process of revision and submission of forms for the voter list continues earnestly.
07:57The process of revision and submission of forms for the voter list continues to ensure that you have an authority that you can recommend after 2003.
08:27If we get a register, we get a check from the register.
08:34Which election?
08:35Yes, in the last election.
08:37If we get a check from Rajiv Ranjan or Neha Kumar Ji,
08:40if they are giving us, if they are Neha Kumar Ji,
08:42then we get a check from the form and upload it.
08:46Without a document, you recommend it and give it.
08:49Because you are local.
08:50Yes.
08:51Booth-level officers, commonly called the BLO, are locals
08:57and they are working in tandem with elected representatives and voters
09:01to scan the existing voter list for dead and ghost voters.
09:09And now, do you get any list that you were telling us?
09:13We have so many lists, which is the list of Mirit.
09:17We have so many people who have died,
09:19and we haven't done any updates on the form.
09:22We have just been sent on this list.
09:24When we go out to the house,
09:26we have no parents,
09:29we have so many people to see their families.
09:31We have also sent a report that they are missing.
09:33We have sent a report that we have now sent to the form.
09:35In this case, we have two people who have been sent to the local police,
09:38or the local people who have been sent to them,
09:41they will confirm,
09:43and then they will see our seniors,
09:45and then they will update the form.
09:46That will be missed.
09:47The work is tedious and thankless, yet most critical for the successful dance of democracy.
10:01Less than an hour's drive away in Katiha district, people living by the mighty Mahananda River
10:07get displaced every monsoon.
10:12Generations live in makeshift houses and that's their home.
10:20This time they are not enumerated in the voter list and no BLO has come looking for them.
10:29We are in this village called Dhabol in Katiha and you can see the Mahananda River is just
10:36on the adjacent side of this particular village.
10:39It's one of those areas in Simanchal which is infamous for floods.
10:44Floods are a normal life of these people who stay here.
10:49We want to understand that whether the boot level officers as being claimed by the election
10:55commission are visiting their villages or not.
10:57As you hurt them on the ground, this is something which shouldn't happen because it is called
11:02a special intensive revision.
11:03It is supposed to be intensive in nature.
11:07The election commission every day is suggesting that a huge number of BLOs are already working
11:12on the project.
11:13If there is a manpower deficit, then more BLOs can also be connected on the ground despite
11:18so.
11:19The ground reality gets a little different when you move from the urban pockets towards
11:23the rules.
11:24the rural belts.
11:25The BLOs here are not visiting their homes.
11:27They are sitting in their cushy comforts.
11:29we would say.
11:30And they are expecting people to just find out and just come to them so that they submit it.
11:32It is supposed to be intensive in nature.
11:33It is supposed to be intensive in nature.
11:34The election commission every day is suggesting that a huge number of BLOs are already working
11:35on the project.
11:36If there is a manpower deficit, then more BLOs can also be connected on the ground despite
11:42so.
11:43The ground reality gets a little different when you move from the urban pockets towards the
11:48rural belts.
11:49The yellows here are not visiting their homes.
11:51They are sitting in their cushy comforts, we would say.
11:55And they are expecting people to just find out and just come to them so that they submit
11:59it.
12:00So this is a grim reality.
12:02There is pressure on the BLOCK-level officers to reach the target and that makes them rush
12:11through the entire verification process.
12:14There is no purpose.
12:15There is no purpose.
12:16There is no purpose.
12:17There is no purpose.
12:18So this is the problem.
12:19You asked people to take all the documents.
12:20What happened?
12:21There is pressure on that you have to collect 100 or 200 forms.
12:25Which is the supervisor.
12:26Then you must collect more forms.
12:28You have to collect more forms.
12:29We have to collect more forms.
12:30But when they are trying to collect the forms, it was often when they are trying to collect.
12:36The forms are less collected.
12:37Do you see it online?
12:38No.
12:39We do not do that online.
12:40We do not draw forms from the offices in the office.
12:41And collect them.
12:42This rush leads to people falling through the cracks.
12:55In three panchayats of this area, the 2003 list is reportedly missing, leading to deletion
13:01of names that even the BLO on ground was not aware of.
13:10It's important that people are being deleted from the internet.
13:14We are not doing the same, but we are not doing this.
13:19We are not doing it.
13:20Who are you putting it?
13:22The only thing that people are being deleted, how did it happen?
13:26We are not aware of this.
13:27We have all the confusion about how it happened.
13:34When we have not written, we have no legal trust.
13:38The deadline approaches and there is a rush that beats the purpose of special intensive revision of voter list in Bihar.
13:50With video journalist Sanjay, Shreya Chatterjee reports from Katihar, Bihar for India Today.
14:00Now the biggest fear among many voters in Bihar is that the revision in reality could be a citizenship test.
14:07And that fear is being reflected on the ground.
14:10Many voters claim they are being profiled on the basis of religion and language.
14:14If you speak Bengali, you are accused of being a Bangladeshi.
14:18If you are a Muslim, again there are question marks.
14:22And if you have come, migrated from Nepal in the past, then too you find yourself targeted.
14:30Here is another report.
14:37Another district, another village, another story of missing names.
14:44They were voters then.
14:57We know that the Simanchal region is now in the conversation because of the fact that lot of people believe that it's been dominated by the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is why the special intensive revision process is required in the first place.
15:26And hence we have traveled to Simanchal to understand and assess the ground reality.
15:32In Chimney Bazar village of Munya district, people are fighting a battle to ensure their fundamental right, right to vote.
15:39Not in Chimney Bazar village of Munya district, who are the commands.
15:41Why is it like the court?
15:42There are almost 400 voters.
15:44In Chimney Bazar village in Chimney Bazar village.
15:46There are about 400 voters in Chimney Bazar village.
15:49There are 400 voters there that they cannot get a form.
15:51Which is why it is not got a form.
15:53In Chimney Bazar village in Chimney Bazar village.
15:54Because the number of schleuding number is correct.
15:57I don't know why B.L.O. has been done.
15:59They have been trying to go and go and go and go and buy it and buy it.
16:04They have not been done a lot.
16:06How many B.L.O. has been done in your ward?
16:09My ward has been done in four B.L.O.
16:11Four B.L.O. has been done with B.L.O.
16:14The guidelines they have been done.
16:17They have been asking me that I am coming from now.
16:20They are working from now and I'm feeling tired of having a phone.
16:23The deletion of names have irked the locals.
16:40They allege their language and religious identity has been targeted.
16:53There are two tangible things that are not much of a cultural development.
16:58There are also people of Malshidabad who are living in Malshidabad and basically their baby's house.
17:07We would say that they are a young generation of people who are living in Malshidabad.
17:14It's not that one of course of Malshidabad is living in Malshidabad.
17:18So, it's now our family of Malshidabad.
17:21foreign
17:51पादर साधर में पढ़ते हैं कि हमारा घर साकिन चिमनी वाज़ार यह फ़ा इस बार है कित्यी धर गैए धरम को लेकर ऑिसा को लेकर कर टर रहा है किद्वार से
18:07Time is of the essence right now.
18:25People refuse to give up their fight for the right to vote.
18:28Nearly two hours from Katihar via Purnia is Kishan Ganj.
18:43The Indo-Nepal border is another hour and a half drive away.
18:49This entire region is not only closer to Nepal but also very close to North Bengal.
18:57The Bangladesh border is not far away either.
19:01The demographics of the region is mixed and the porous border complicates things further,
19:07posing challenges for the Special Intensive Revision of Election Commission.
19:17People in and around Sheshabadi village have traditionally been migrants from Bengal and Bangladesh as well.
19:24Many are married to Nepali women.
19:32Locals claim that this migration has been a long established tradition of the region.
19:37Women who have come from Nepal and settled here after marriage want their due recognition.
19:43It is indeed a simple process to walk across the border to Nepal from here.
19:47It is indeed a simple process to walk across the border to Nepal from here.
20:08It is indeed a simple process to walk across the border to Nepal from here.
20:18We are right now on the India-Nepal border.
20:20That is India as you see.
20:21And on my left-hand side, I'll ask my cameraman Sanjay to show you that that is Nepal.
20:28Now, I'll just show you that I am not carrying my passport.
20:32This is an Adhaar card that I have and based on this, I will be going inside Nepal.
20:37We have our carriages who will be taking us from India to Nepal and we will give you a short tour
20:43and just give you an understanding of how porous our borders exactly are.
20:48So, this is a journey that we are taking only for people to understand who are away from these localities
20:57which is the ground zero because they clearly do not have an understanding of how borders essentially are.
21:04We probably think that borders are well guarded all the time.
21:08It are closed enclosures but look at how we are just crossing into Nepal without any kind of a passport.
21:17Just with my Adhaar card if at all I am stopped but essentially that's what something that does not really happen.
21:25And we are in the land of Nepal right now.
21:29It is a friendly country with India and people very easily move around from one place to another.
21:38There are a lot of people in India who are also Nepali.
21:43They are married from Nepal and that's exactly the reality what you see.
21:49Right now, we are not in India. We have crossed over. We are in Nepal.
21:53And despite this kind of a porous nature, when we have people and normal movement,
21:59it is a bigger question that a lot of people, at least in Simanchal, in Kishan Ganja are asking,
22:06if we can move around so normally, why are you suddenly excluding people from the voter list?
22:13That's something for the election commission to answer.
22:16But the ground reality is what we are right now showing you.
22:19People claim they have a relation of roti and beti with both the countries, Nepal and Bangladesh.
22:31Whether it's Bangladesh or Myanmar, there will be no people here.
22:36There will be no people here.
22:39There will be no people in the land.
22:41There is no people here.
22:43There is no people here from Nepal.
22:46Porous border, politics and policy paralysis to vote bank appeasement for long
22:52has changed the demography of the region.
22:57The special intensive revision of the election commission is too late a response.
23:02Even then, it's being carried out in a confused and scattered manner.
23:07This defeats the purpose but certainly fans the politicking powers.
23:12With video journalist Sanjay, Shriya Chatterjee reports from Kishanganj, Bihar for India Today.
23:42Fans could be struck off roles. Are you seeing BLO's working hard to ensure no one gets excluded?
23:48What have you picked up? Are people getting excluded? Is that a real fear or is that irrational?
23:57Well, Razdeep, you know, at least on the part of the BLO's, I won't say they are not working.
24:01They are overburdened with the targets that they are getting and that's primarily why
24:06we see no documents being taken while this process is being done.
24:10So far, till the 25th, the process that the SIR will undergo looks like it's been diluted on the ground.
24:16So far as the fear of being left out, the Muslim pockets of Simanchal,
24:19because we've come across cases where people who have voted in 2024,
24:24some of them even have their names on the 2025 updated roles.
24:28Because they say their names have gone missing, they are not getting an enumeration form.
24:32So they are scared. Those people, we have recorded their voices.
24:35But if you talk about the urban pockets, chaos is not there because BLO's are simply just taking the form.
24:42The chaos that we see is largely in the rural belts where BLO's are not visiting door to door
24:46and in these Muslim pockets of Simanchal.
24:50What about the areas as you went to the Nepal border?
24:52Is there a fear that because the borders are porous
24:55and the government has claimed that there is a lot of illegal migration
25:00that many of those who perhaps have been migrating, voting in Indian elections
25:04suddenly find themselves, even though they may have the necessary documents presumably
25:08to be Indian citizens including Aadhaar voter identity cards from 2024,
25:15now are finding their names of the enumeration, yes or no?
25:18Well, yes, that will probably be the process because combing of foreign nationals is happening.
25:27We have also got confirmation because I have met officials over here on the ground
25:30who have all told us off the record that yes, combing of foreign nationals is a process
25:35that is being undertaken by the BLO's.
25:38They are actually listing out their foreign nationals and they are not submitting the form as well right now.
25:43We have recorded a sequence also of that with one of the BLO's
25:46who said that they are actually taking the forms away.
25:49So migration and entering in the voter rolls have happened along these porous borders
25:54and that is essentially why we see such statements also coming in from the election commission.
26:00One final question.
26:03In general, do you believe that the exercise itself perhaps therefore from what you have gathered
26:09will need to have an extended timeline, given a July 25th deadline is becoming unrealistic,
26:15many of these areas have large migrant labor.
26:18Do you believe that that could solve part of the problem if this exercise was extended
26:22and there was greater clarity on the ground?
26:28Well, absolutely, Razdeep.
26:29There is no clarity on the ground.
26:30That's essentially why I say that the first half of the SIR process
26:34which is submission of all the forms by 25th of July,
26:37there is a lot of confusion with the BLO's.
26:39They don't know the clarity and I personally feel that they will probably be ending up
26:43actually submitting all the forms that are required by the given date
26:47because there's no documents being submitted.
26:50We have scenes recorded where online forms on the apps are being submitted
26:53without documents just by recommendation of a BLO.
26:56So if that is how diluted of submission of a form is,
26:59then very well we will be accomplishing in the given timeline.
27:03Having that, no one is getting an acknowledgement now.
27:05It's only after the process actually goes forward and moves towards August and September,
27:10we'll get larger clarity on the ground on what is actually happening
27:13so far as at least, I mean, leaving out foreign nationals are concerned.
27:17Yeah, Chatterjee, for joining me there from Kishan, I appreciate you joining me.
27:22Okay, the Bihar files and we'll have more on that sting that Shreya has done in a moment,
27:27but let me raise big questions that have come from the story.
27:30EC's role revision deadline, is it simply impractical to expect 25th of July
27:35for crores of voters to have forms with documents?
27:38Remember now, forms are being collected without documents.
27:41Is this becoming a citizenship test, which is really not the responsibility
27:45of the Election Commission, but the Home Ministry?
27:48Is the onus being pushed on voters to prove their citizenship?
27:52And is the right to vote therefore under threat
27:54when the opposition claims vote bandhi, is that fair or realistic?
27:58I'm joined by O.P. Rawat, former Chief Election Commission,
28:01Satyapal Jain, Additional Sinister General of India,
28:04he's also been a BJP MP,
28:06and Shadan Farasad, his Senior Advocate Supreme Court,
28:08he's been appearing in this case in the courts.
28:10I appreciate all of you joining us.
28:12O.P. Rawat, let me get your first reactions.
28:15This entire exercise, is it being done in a hurry
28:18to meet deadlines and thereby the real fear is there
28:22that genuine voters could also get excluded
28:25just because they don't have the necessary documents
28:28being provided to them?
28:33Rajdeep, you are absolutely right,
28:36because intensive revision was generally done
28:41when elections were about a year or more away.
28:45So that the whole process is completed in three months
28:48and thereafter, all those aggrieved by deletion of their names
28:52in the final publication have enough time
28:54to resolve their issues and get justice for inclusion
29:00or exclusion, whatever it is.
29:02This time, elections are just about a month away
29:04after the final publication.
29:06So that's why people are having panic
29:09and they are confused what to do
29:12and how to get justice.
29:15You know, that's an interesting point
29:17because Satyapal Jain,
29:18there was a summary revision completed in Bihar
29:20in January of this year
29:22and suddenly overnight on June 24th
29:24the election commission says
29:26ahead of Bihar we are going in
29:27for a special intensive revision.
29:29Here is a former chief election commissioner saying
29:31this is normally done
29:32a year before an election,
29:34it's properly done.
29:35There seems to be some urgency
29:37to get it done before Bihar.
29:40As a result,
29:40the controversy spiraling forms
29:42are being collected as our reporter says
29:44even without documentation.
29:45See, all the controversies
29:51and all the fears, apprehensions
29:53are totally misplaced,
29:55unfounded
29:55and they are in ignorance of the law
29:58of the registration of the voters.
30:00Let's first understand the procedure.
30:02Under the representation of People Act 1950,
30:06there is a complete procedure prescribed
30:08as to who can be registered as a voter
30:10and what is the procedure for that.
30:12Under 1950 Act,
30:14there are three, four conditions.
30:16Number one,
30:17you must be a citizen of India.
30:18You should not be less than
30:19of 18 years of age.
30:21You should be ordinary resident
30:22of the place
30:23where you want to be registered
30:24as a voter
30:25and you should not be registered
30:28as a voter more than once
30:30either in the same constituency
30:31or in two different constituencies
30:33or even in two different states.
30:35So these are the basic conditions.
30:37Then there is a booth level officer
30:39who coordinates the registration
30:41of the votes
30:41and revision of the electoral rolls
30:43under section 21c.
30:45Booth level officer is assisted
30:47by the booth level agents
30:49of all the political parties
30:51and at a particular booth,
30:53there are about 1,000 to 1,200,
30:541,500 votes
30:55meaning 300, 400 families.
30:57I do not think
30:59it is impossible
31:00possible for all the political parties
31:02and the PLO
31:03not to verify
31:04about 100, 1,200 or 500 families
31:08whether they are children or not.
31:10Mr. Jain,
31:11no one is doubting
31:12the EC's constitutional powers
31:14under the representation
31:15of People's Act.
31:15the question arises
31:17that when you go in
31:18for a special intensive revision
31:19of this kind
31:20just ahead of an election,
31:22you are creating
31:23unrealistic timelines.
31:25You are creating now
31:26additional bureaucratic layers
31:28by asking for documents
31:30that you didn't ask voters
31:31in the past
31:32and thereby creating fears
31:35which could well be justified
31:36on the ground
31:37if many voters are excluded.
31:38So, what was the urgency
31:40suddenly to do it
31:41in the month,
31:42in the monsoon months
31:43when large parts of BR
31:44are flooded out?
31:48It is the initial revision
31:50which is taking place.
31:52The list will come
31:5290% people will be satisfied
31:5495% be.
31:55If you have any objection
31:57under the registration
31:59of electoral rules
32:00there is a procedure.
32:01You can immediately
32:02represent to the black officer.
32:03He will decide
32:04whether you have been
32:05rightly included or excluded.
32:07Then it is the district officer.
32:08Then it is the chief electoral officer.
32:10All steps have been provided.
32:12All remedies have been made available.
32:14Only unnecessarily
32:16they are trying to create
32:17who and cry.
32:18Now is not the time
32:19like earlier one
32:20when I contested election 91
32:22for the first time.
32:23Now everything is available on net.
32:25Everything is available on net.
32:27All forms are available.
32:28If you can't coordinate...
32:29Shadam Farah sir.
32:30Just a minute.
32:30If your BLA,
32:32agent of a political party
32:33is not able to coordinate
32:34at the booth level
32:35it is the fault of the party
32:37not of the system.
32:38Okay.
32:39Shadam Farah said
32:40respond.
32:40According to Satyapal Jain,
32:41this is much ado about nothing.
32:43There are enough checks
32:44and balances within the system
32:46that even if my name is excluded
32:47I am a genuine voter.
32:49I will have the right to vote.
32:51There is a prescribed procedure.
32:53What's the real concern then?
32:54Yes, the concern is at multiple levels.
32:58The first concern is that
33:00this is a what the election commission
33:02calls a special intensive revision.
33:04This is not just an intensive revision.
33:07The word special has been added
33:08before intensive revision.
33:10Election commission itself admits
33:11that no special intensive revision
33:14has been done
33:14in the history of India
33:16in 75 years
33:17and Bihar is the first state
33:18where it is being done.
33:19What has been done in the past
33:21is only intensive revision.
33:22Now what's the difference?
33:23What was 2003?
33:24What was 2003?
33:25It was only an intensive revision.
33:27There was no concept of a special intensive revision
33:32until we heard it from election commission
33:3420 days back.
33:35That's the first time they've introduced it.
33:36So I think that's important
33:37that your viewers have that clarity
33:39that in the past
33:41only what has been carried out
33:43is an intensive revision.
33:44This is a new creation
33:45of the election commission.
33:47That's point number one.
33:48Now why is it problematic?
33:50It's problematic for the reason
33:51that everybody
33:53irrespective of you being on an electoral risk
33:55have to submit this form.
33:58Correct?
33:58If you don't get the form
34:00and therefore you're not able to submit it
34:03or for any reason
34:04you're not able to submit it
34:05despite you being in the 2025 electoral list
34:08you will be straight away knocked out.
34:10Your name will not even figure in the draft roll
34:12which is supposed to come on 1st August.
34:15So just by non-submission of a form
34:17despite being on an electoral list
34:19as of today
34:20you will be knocked out.
34:22The investigation
34:23or whatever the hearing
34:24begins for people
34:26who are on the draft roll.
34:28Therefore fundamentally
34:29even now
34:30if you have 9 crore voters
34:31or 8 crore voters
34:321% is 8 lakh
34:33simple arithmetic tells us.
34:35So if you're not even able to give
34:37form to 1% people
34:398 lakh people
34:39are knocked out of the roll
34:40straight away.
34:41Now let's assume
34:42you're not able to give to 2%.
34:43That's 16 lakh.
34:44And if some of them
34:45are not able to submit
34:46and Bihar has
34:47short term migrant labour
34:49of a huge variety
34:49in Punjab
34:50there is going to be
34:51you know
34:51right now sowing season.
34:53So a lot of people
34:54will be travelling.
34:54A lot of the working class
34:56of Bihar
34:56will be on a short term
34:57migration.
34:59Correct?
34:59Now all of these
35:00Today the election commission
35:01has put out full page ads
35:03to say that migrant labour
35:05can go online
35:06on an app.
35:07Is the election commission
35:08living in a real world
35:09or are they living
35:09in some make-believe world?
35:11Ads for what?
35:12A person who's working
35:13in Punjab
35:13on a field
35:14in a paddy field
35:15is going to look
35:16at the election commission
35:16website and file a form?
35:18Are we kidding ourselves?
35:19I mean what a joke
35:20and this unfortunately
35:21is I mean
35:22you know
35:22I get the same sense
35:24which I got
35:25when it was demonetization.
35:26This is demonetization
35:28by election commission.
35:29You see the same
35:30level of problem
35:32with legality.
35:32You see the same
35:33level of problem
35:34with implementation
35:34on the ground
35:35and you see the same
35:36level of excuses
35:37and justifications
35:38changing every day.
35:39Eight years
35:40that was 2016
35:41we are nine years
35:41down the line
35:42all of us know
35:43it was a failure
35:43a massive failure
35:44the government
35:44doesn't talk about it
35:45and this is exactly
35:46what the situation
35:47with this special
35:48intensive revision is.
35:49Election commission
35:50Mr. Rawat
35:52you want to respond
35:52that this is now
35:53vote bandhi
35:55you have a particular
35:57like what we had
35:59with note bandhi
35:59you've identified
36:00a problem
36:01that there are
36:01maybe voters
36:03who may not have
36:04the citizenship claims
36:06and you want to
36:06remove them
36:07of electoral roll
36:07what do you do?
36:08You go in for an exercise
36:09that will actually
36:10exclude genuine voters
36:11as Shadan Farasad
36:13says if I'm a daily
36:14wage laborer
36:14working on a field
36:15in Punjab
36:16am I going to sit
36:17and fill a form
36:17online and make sure
36:19that I'm on the
36:19form in the first place?
36:22Mr. Rawat
36:23It's true actually
36:26yeah it's true
36:27actually election commission
36:28themselves realized
36:29mid course
36:31around 6th of July
36:34they came out
36:35with an advertisement
36:36because they felt
36:37that they won't be able
36:38to get any forms
36:39from nearly 3 crore voters
36:41so they brought out
36:43an advertisement
36:43on Sunday
36:44that there is no need
36:46of proof
36:48or documents
36:48you just submit
36:49the form
36:50so that at least
36:52a semblance
36:53of reason
36:55is there
36:55and nearly
36:567.5 crore voters
36:57are in the draft roll
36:58otherwise
36:59there would have been
37:00only 5 crore voters
37:012003 voter list
37:02so they themselves
37:03made
37:05mid course correction
37:07you know
37:08that's exactly
37:08I'll come to you
37:09Satyapal Jain in a moment
37:10but I want to show you
37:11what's actually happening
37:12on the ground
37:12once again
37:13we actually did
37:14a hidden camera
37:15on one of the BLOs
37:16to find out
37:17how names are being
37:18deleted
37:19how names are being
37:20included
37:20I want you to listen
37:21in and then
37:22I'll come back
37:22to my guest
37:23listen in
37:48Bangladesh
37:49I want you to go
37:50to my guest
37:50I want you to listen
37:52to me
37:53to our guest
37:53everyone
37:54I want you to listen
37:55now
37:55to our guest
37:56to our guest
37:57I want you to listen
37:57to our guest
37:58to our guest
37:59and to our guest
37:59the name of the
38:01voter list
38:02which has been
38:03written
38:04there is no
38:06information
38:06there is no
38:08interest
38:09either
38:09Bangladesh
38:10or Nepal
38:11or
38:11Jain
38:12there is no
38:13chance
38:14So there is no doubt about it.
38:17But how did you identify the Bangladeshi?
38:19Did you tell people about it?
38:21No, there is nothing.
38:23Do you think you have identified the Bangladeshi Muslim in your relationship?
38:26No.
38:27No.
38:28No.
38:29No.
38:30No.
38:31No.
38:32No.
38:33No.
38:34No.
38:35No.
38:36No.
38:37No.
38:38No.
38:39No.
38:40No.
38:41No.
38:42No.
38:43Because the documents are kept, they have not done the documents.
38:47And when we don't have the documents, they will get the documents.
38:52You know what, Satyapal Jain, this exercise was supposed to weed out the so-called illegal voters.
38:58As Shreya's report has shown on the ground, the BLOs are finding that impossible.
39:02There is a porous border with Nepal.
39:05And worse still, if I am a Bengali from Murshidabad or Malda, I speak Bengali, immediately I am called a Bangladeshi.
39:11This exercise seems to have the wrong, you know, it is simply unable to realize the ground realities.
39:18That's the problem with it.
39:19It is again like Notbandi, you are finding the wrong medicine to resolve the disease.
39:24Not at all.
39:25Not at all.
39:29Notbandi has no similarity to the present situation.
39:32May I put a question to all my friends.
39:34Even when the voters are prepared, voter list is prepared, in any parliamentary or assembly elections, to my knowledge, maximum turnout was 70 or 75%.
39:44So, what about the 30%, 20% who do not come to cast their vote?
39:49So, it's not that everybody who is interested will be registered and will come to cast the vote.
39:54You get your right to register as a voter from the constitution and the law.
39:58And if you fulfill those conditions, you will be enrolled as a voter.
40:01And if the BLO doesn't enroll you as a voter, you have legal remedies, four channels available to you.
40:07So, that would take months.
40:08That would take months.
40:09I will be running around, I will be running around Bihar.
40:12The elections are just a couple.
40:15Not months.
40:16No, no, no.
40:19Okay.
40:20No, no, not months.
40:21Within a day, three days you can do it nowadays.
40:23See, if you can't have your BLA who is active, I told in the beginning, voter list is prepared at the booth level.
40:29There is a booth level officer.
40:31Then every party has a booth level agent at that level.
40:34Okay.
40:35The booth level agent is not active.
40:37He doesn't want to go to the voters.
40:38He doesn't want to verify.
40:39He doesn't want to get things done.
40:41Why do you blame the system?
40:42And why should you blame the officer and all those people?
40:46All apprehensions are unfounded in ignorance of the law.
40:50Let us study law.
40:51Then there will be no problem at all.
40:53Shadhan Farasad, respond to what you word.
40:55There are booth level agents of every political party who can do the verification.
40:59This is not such a complicated process.
41:01No, I will only say to Mr. Malik in response to what Mr. Malik is saying is that the law should not exist in absence of the reality on the ground.
41:18It cannot.
41:19Law cannot be, you know, just for imagination, right?
41:22So law and the law does not contemplate this, but be quite apart from the law.
41:26Is it possible?
41:27Let's say there are problems with two or three crore people's, you know, prima facie.
41:31Nobody submitted a document as of now.
41:33It's quite obvious that BLOs, I am also, I originally belong from Bihar.
41:37I have family there.
41:38So I know that all they are doing is collecting forms.
41:40That's what the instructions to the BLOs on the ground is.
41:44Now, if you're just collecting forms, the real problem, one is exclusion at the level of collecting forms, which I pointed out in my initial comments.
41:50Then the problem will begin.
41:51Those from whom you have collected forms, now you have to get documentation from them.
41:55And based on the documentation, decide whether they are in or out and give them hearings.
41:59Are you telling me that the election commission has the capacity to give hearing to, say, even one crore people personal hearings?
42:04That's what the law requires.
42:06Yes.
42:07I mean, is it possible?
42:08Is it feasible?
42:09Yes.
42:10Mr. Jain, I'm sorry.
42:11I mean, I really think we are living in two parallel words.
42:14I don't think it's at all possible or feasible to give hearings under rule 21A and rule 24 of the election commission rule 1960 and determine based on documentation that too in a span of time when elections are set in September or October.
42:28So this is completely.
42:29I tell you, just allow me to complete, sir, sir, just allow me to complete.
42:33Let him complete and I'll get you.
42:35Yeah, complete.
42:36Allow me to complete.
42:37All I'm saying is that this is something election commission itself realized that at the beginning stage, if they ask people to submit with documents, their numbers will be very low.
42:47So they did away with the documents.
42:48They have told their BLOs, just go collect the forms.
42:51Because otherwise, what would have happened by 25th July, the numbers would have been out of eight crores, five crores, two or three crores would have straight away not even submitted the form.
42:59And numbers would have the numbers of exclusion prima flacy exclusion would have been very high.
43:03So in order to avoid that, they just said, give the forms.
43:06But the real problem will still come thereafter.
43:08They don't have any solution.
43:09That's why I'm saying it's like demonetization.
43:11You keep on addressing problems as they arise.
43:13You have not thought through.
43:14You don't have a response and you say sab changasi.
43:16That's all.
43:17Okay, sab changasi quick final 30 second response Satyapaz Jain.
43:21There are real practical, these are practical difficulties.
43:24Our story has exposed the practical difficulties.
43:26I will only say, if the election commission can hold election to 100 parliamentary constituencies, thousands and thousands of polling booths, crores of voters in a day, why can't you finalize the voter list within three weeks, 10 days, 12 days?
43:44All things are possible nowadays.
43:45The only thing is, follow the law.
43:47And I don't agree with him that you have to, the law doesn't say and all that.
43:51You have to physically verify the process.
43:54You have to give people an opportunity for a fair hearing.
43:58Okay, we leave it there.
44:00We leave it there.
44:01Our purpose was only to highlight the issues on the ground.
44:05I hope people are waking up to the reality of what is happening on the ground in one of India's most populous states of Bihar.
44:12Without using words like Vote Bandi, all I will say is that the public's right to vote must not be compromised.
44:19I think no example, no parallel.
44:21Okay, okay.
44:22We leave it there.
44:23All we are saying is questions are being raised that need answers.
44:28And the election commission seems to be changing the goalposts all the time.
44:32Thank you to my panel for joining me.
44:34Let me turn from there to my other big story.
44:36And it's a shocker from Odisha.
44:38A 20-year-old student from Balasor died after self-immolating herself over alleged harassment by the college professor.
44:45The accused teacher and principal have been arrested.
44:48But Odisha is mourning.
44:49Protests are growing.
44:50And while the government may announce 20 lakh exgratia, the opposition is questioning it as an institutional failure.
44:58Once again, beti bachao, beti padhao under question.
45:02Take a look.
45:03Odisha is draped in grief and rage.
45:15A 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasor has become the new face of institutional betrayal and denied justice.
45:27She had set herself on fire outside the principal's office on Saturday after her complaints of sexual harassment against a teacher were ignored.
45:36After battling for three days, she succumbed to her injuries at Ames Bhuvaneshwar on Monday night.
45:46As her body returned home, the entire town came together in mourning.
45:50It was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
45:53On July 1st, the victim had filed a complaint with the college committee, accusing head of department Sameer Sahu of allegedly demanding sexual favors.
46:04No action was taken for more than 10 days.
46:07Her self-immolation on July 12 sparked protests across the campus.
46:12The accused teacher was suspended and arrested.
46:16The principal Dilip Ghosh, who failed to act on the complaint, was also suspended and arrested.
46:21The state education department formed a pro-panel.
46:25The chief minister has announced 20 lakh rupees ex-Garishya for her family.
46:32Opposition parties blame the ruling BGP for failing the victim.
46:36Former Urishya chief minister Naveen Patnai called the incident an institutional betrayal.
46:41Rahul Gandhi called it organized murder.
46:44I think if the chief minister has an iota of sympathy for the family of that girl, an iota of sympathy for student scourges in this state, must ask for the resignation of the education minister, the local MP and the local MP.
46:59The fight has started and we need to stand by her, we need to fight for her.
47:04Till she gets justice, her family gets justice, till all the women in Odessa get justice.
47:09And this government, if they have little shame, if they have little shame and they accept the mistake, the chief minister should resign immediately.
47:17The opposition has called for an Urishya bandh on Wednesday.
47:40She did not get justice while alive. Will she get it now?
47:44As Urishya awaits answers, the nation must ask.
47:48How many more before we listen?
47:50Better Report, India Today.
47:54Let's turn to tonight's Get Real India story and it comes from Pune, where the accused in the Pune Porsche hit and run case of 2024 will not be tried now as an adult, despite him having crossed the age threshold.
48:06The Juvenile Justice Board rejected the Pune Police's plea to try him as an adult.
48:11The killer had hit and dragged a couple, killing both in 2024.
48:17Take a look, Get Real India.
48:23A year ago, the Pune Porsche crash made national headlines.
48:28A 17-year-old son of a prominent business person, Vishal Agarwal, celebrating his exam results, went pub hopping.
48:36And after a night of revelry, rammed a two-wheeler, leaving two IT professionals, Anish Awadiyah and Ashwini Koshhta, dead.
48:45The Juvenile Justice Board on Tuesday ruled the brat will not be tried as an adult, rejecting the police plea to treat the teen as an adult.
48:56The family of the accused, who will be treated as a minor, had pulled every trick to get him off the hook.
49:03There were shocking attempts to tamper with evidence.
49:08The accused's family tried to swap his blood samples with his mother's.
49:12After the swap, with the help of corrupt government hospital doctors, his first blood report showed no alcohol presence.
49:20The drunk teen's family also forced their driver to take the blame, and even assaulted him.
49:27The accused was initially released on bail, with the only punishment being to write an essay, while reportedly being served pizza at the police station.
49:36Families of the victims are devastated by the Juvenile Justice Board's decision.
49:41On the other hand, the accused lawyer cited the law.
50:09Now the act, from 19 May 2024, what we are trying to tell you is, the only act has been followed by the judiciary.
50:21There are orders of the Honourable High Court, Honourable Division Bench, which is the highest court of the land,
50:26which has to be respected and there's a sanctity to the entire process.
50:30As law stands, we are executing the law. We are arguing upon the law point.
50:34If tomorrow there's an amendment in the act, obviously it will be most welcome.
50:39As outrage grows, the question remains, will the killer Brad walk away unscathed or will justice be served?
50:48Bureau Report, India Today.
50:50Will justice be served in Pune? Let me turn then to our good news today's story.
50:59After a groundbreaking mission about the Axiom 4, Captain Shubanshu Shukla is finally back home.
51:08The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the crew made a textbook splashdown off the coast of Florida, marking a perfect end to a near flawless journey.
51:18Captain Shubanshu and the entire crew members' return is not just a moment of pride for the mission team, but also for the country and for every young dreamer who dares to look up to the stars.
51:29The team will now undergo a seven-day rehabilitation.
51:32Earlier we spoke to Shuchi Shukla, Shubanshu's sister and began asking Shushi, how was the moment when you actually saw Shubanshu finally coming down after 18 days in space?
51:44Thrilling, thrilling, thrilling, thrilling. There is no other word than this. Highly excited, highly happy. I don't know how to control my emotions right now.
51:51I am highly, highly, highly proud right now. And this is the moment we were waiting for it. He has made the history now.
51:58We were writing that he is writing the history. He has made the history right now. And so, so, so happy.
52:03My eyes, I cannot just un-visit that. I cannot remove my eyes from the screen still, because he has to come out of the coop. But what to say? So happy, so happy.
52:15We also saw your mother and father. Your mother in particular, she was crying at that very moment when the touchdown took place safely.
52:22It was obviously an emotional moment for the entire family.
52:24Yes, of course, of course, it's an emotional moment also. Though we were not thinking to cry, but we are Indians. We cry in all the moments. So, in that happy moment also, we were crying.
52:37In particular, we saw lots of Indian flags waving around the entire school. Obviously, this is a proud moment for the country as well, ma'am.
52:45The goose bumps were there. And of course, we cannot remove that Indian-ness from our side. Anyways, wherever we are, whenever this kind of moment is going to happen, our Indian-ness certainly comes out. And we were feeling very happy about it.
53:03And just asking you, Shubhanshu has become an inspiration, ma'am, for everyone. What would you say to that? What does his story really signify as his sister? What would you tell us?
53:13That was the broader picture, actually, and that was the motive. The ultimate motive is that only. That not many people should get the motivation from that, especially the upcoming generation. So, if they are getting the motivation, that is the best achievement, I can say.
53:30That was earlier in the day, all the excitement over Shubhanshu. Shukla, we hope he is back and well and soon back home after that remarkable space mission or a path-breaking space mission.
53:45I want to leave you, though, with my image tonight. Marathon legend, Forja Singh, the one and only Forja Singh is no more. The 114-year-old, often called the Turbanned Tornado, died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab, Jalandhar, at around 3.30pm yesterday.
54:02Having taken up running at 89 to cope with personal grief, Singh went on to inspire the world, running marathons across continents, even carrying the Olympic torch in 2012.
54:13Author Kushwan Singh, who wrote Forja Singh's biography, confirmed the news after speaking with Singh's family, sharing his grief in a social media post, expressing sorrow over the loss of someone he deeply revered.
54:25Forja Singh, Forja Singh may be no longer with us, but he will continue to run in our hearts and inspire many to keep running in life and beyond.
54:37Thanks for watching. Stay well, stay safe. Good night. Shubhra Atri. Jai Hind. Namaskar.
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