An FIR was lodged at the Belagavi Market police station on September 30 after a complaint by Booth Level Agent Meerasab Sanadi, who works in Ward No. 12 of the Belagavi North Assembly constituency. The complaint alleges that Karnataka BJP leader Ravi Patil, along with Shankar Beerappa Naik, Pashant Deepak Mundinmani and 20‑25 other individuals, tried to delete the names of 198 Muslim voters from the electoral roll during the ongoing State‑wide Identification Review (SIR) by submitting forged Form‑7 applications.
According to the FIR, on September 22 at about 2:30 p.m., the accused gathered with a malicious intent to target only Muslim voters. They allegedly forged documents, presented them to the Booth Level Officer (BLO), and falsely claimed the papers were issued by the Election Registration Officer (ERO). The complainant says the accused also pressured the BLO, used a phone call impersonating the ERO to obtain a signature, and submitted Form‑7s that included his own name and that of his family members.
Similar irregularities have been reported elsewhere in Karnataka. In Bidar, businessman Mohammed Ateeq Ahmed filed a complaint that 3,244 voters, including himself, were marked as “shifted/absent” through forged Form‑7s. An FIR naming 32 accused persons was registered on October 1. In Mysuru, social worker Syed Hasarath Ulla alleged that false Form‑7s were submitted to remove his and his family’s names from the roll, and that similar applications were filed against 28 other voters.
The police have charged the accused under Sections 318(4), 336(3), 336(4), 353, 61(2), 3(5), 192 and 190 of the Indian Penal Code, citing cheating, forgery, conspiracy and intent to incite violence. Investigation is ongoing, and the case has drawn attention from state officials, including a sit‑in by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and cabinet colleagues outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.
