Thousands of voter ID cards found along Narmada river in MP, Congress seeks FIR

Most of the cards are said to belong to Indore's Rau Assembly constituency; officials have seized the cards and ordered an investigation into how they reached the riverbank.

In Short

• A viral video alerted police and administrative officials to the recovery
• Niswarth Seva Samiti members spotted the cards during Sunday cleaning
• Revenue officials seized the cards after preparing an official recovery record

Thousands of voter ID cards were found along the banks of the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district, triggering a political row, with Congress workers demanding an FIR and a thorough investigation into the matter.

The cards were found at a ghat in Mandleshwar, around 65 km from the Khargone district headquarters. Most of them are said to belong to voters in Indore's Rau Assembly constituency, although the exact number of cards and how they reached the riverbank are yet to be established.

The matter came to light after a video purportedly showing voter ID cards scattered along the riverbank went viral on social media. Police and administrative officials subsequently reached the spot, collected the cards and prepared an official record of the recovery.

OFFICIALS SEIZE CARDS, ORDER PROBE

Maheshwar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Purva Mandloi confirmed that the voter ID cards had been found and said a tehsildar had been sent to investigate the matter.

She said the exact number of cards was not yet known and that further details would emerge after the enquiry. Action would be taken against those found responsible, she added.

Mandlaeshwar police official Shweta Shukla said the cards were spotted on Sunday morning when members of the Niswarth Seva Samiti were cleaning the Narmada Ghat.

Following the information, the SDM immediately sent a team from the revenue department to the spot. The cards were seized after an official record of the recovery was prepared, Shukla said.

She added that the police had also received a written complaint in connection with the matter and that the station house officer had been tasked with investigating it. Further action would be taken based on the findings.

CONGRESS DEMANDS FIR, ALLEGES VOTE THEFT

The discovery prompted Congress workers to stage a protest outside the Mandleshwar police station. They handed over hundreds of voter ID cards to the SDOP and submitted an application demanding that an FIR be registered.

Khargone District Congress president Ravi Nayak alleged that hundreds or thousands of voter ID cards had been found along the riverbank and in the Narmada. He claimed that the cards appeared to be linked to voters in Indore.

Questioning how such a large number of voter ID cards could have ended up at the site, Nayak alleged that the incident raised suspicions of electoral malpractice and called for an impartial investigation.

The allegations have not been established. The administration is investigating how the cards reached the riverbank, when they were brought there and who was responsible.

The exact number of cards recovered, their ownership details and the circumstances surrounding their disposal are expected to become clearer after the investigation.

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