Bihar SIR: Two Pakistanis with valid voter IDs found in Bhagalpur

New Delhi: Authorities in Bihar's Bhagalpur district have begun the process to remove the names of two women alleged to be Pakistani nationals from the electoral rolls after their presence was detected during a special revision exercise. 

The women, identified as Imrana Khanam (also known as Imrana Khatoon) and Firdousia Khanam (also known as Firdousia Khatoon), were found to possess valid Aadhaar and voter identity cards. 

The issue came to light following the publication of draft electoral rolls on August 1, 2025, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) requested a detailed report from the district administration. 

Bhagalpur District Magistrate Nawal Kishore Singh, who also serves as the district election officer, confirmed that an investigation based on a booth-level officer's report verified the women's status as Pakistani nationals residing illegally in India on expired visas. 

VIDEO | Bihar: Two Pakistani nationals with valid voter IDs have reportedly been found in Bhagalpur. The district administration has started the process to remove them from the voter list.

Bhagalpur District Magistrate Dr. Nawal Kishor Choudhary says, "There are 24 lakh voters… pic.twitter.com/bt7oeHbXIv

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 24, 2025

According to the probe, Firdousia Khanam entered India on a three-month visa on January 19, 1956, while Imrana Khanam arrived on a three-year visa. Neither renewed their visas. 

The women are reportedly from Rangpur village in Pakistan's Khushab district, Punjab province. 

The administration has started deleting their names from the voter list and canceling their Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), with a final report to be submitted to the ECI upon completion. 

In a statement, Singh noted that Bhagalpur has approximately 2.4 million voters and that booth-level officers conduct regular verifications. He described this as the first such case reported in the district and stated that legal action would be taken as per the law. 

This incident occurs amid a broader Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the first since 2003, which ran from June to July 2025 and resulted in the deletion of 6.5 million names, reducing the total voter count to 72.4 million. 

The revisions targeted duplicates, deceased individuals, and other discrepancies. Corrections to the Bihar voter lists remain open until September 1, 2025, with over 165,000 applications received so far. 

The ECI has flagged an unusual rise in foreign nationals on voter lists in Bihar, particularly in the Seemanchal region bordering Nepal and Bangladesh, including districts like Kishanganj, Araria, Purnea, and Katihar. 

However, the ECI has clarified that deletions in recent revisions were mainly due to death, permanent relocation, absence, or duplicate registrations, with minimal cases related to foreign nationals. In 2019, the ECI reported to Parliament only three instances of foreign nationals on electoral rolls across India in 2018, from Telangana, West Bengal, and Gujarat. 

On August 5, 2025, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were briefly detained while marching to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi to demand a rollback. Gandhi alleged widespread voter manipulation, citing examples from Maharashtra and Bihar, such as over 100,000 manipulated entries in Mahadevapura and a 124-year-old voter's name in Bihar's draft list. He called for the release of digital voter rolls for auditing and claimed the Congress party lost seats in the 2024 elections due to irregularities. 

The ECI rejected these allegations as "absurd" and demanded Gandhi submit a signed declaration under oath or apologise. 

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the opposition of defaming democratic institutions. 

The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions challenging the SIR process, with concerns raised about potential disenfranchisement of migrants and minorities, and the court noting a "trust deficit" but stating it would intervene if mass exclusion is proven. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a rally in Gaya, Bihar, on August 22, 2025, addressed concerns about illegal immigrants in border areas, stating that their growing population was impacting local job opportunities. He announced plans for a demographic mission to remove illegal immigrants from the country. 

The state intelligence agency has alerted police about foreign nationals overstaying in Bihar, particularly in border districts vulnerable to infiltration. A nationwide voter list review is planned following the Bihar exercise.