Bihar SIR: EC sends notice to 3 lakh voters over 'doubtful citizenship'; border districts in focus

NEW DELHI: Nearly three lakh electors in Bihar have been served notices over " doubtful citizenship " during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, officials said on Friday.

The flagged names are part of the 7.24 crore voters listed in the draft rolls published on August 1. Many of those under scrutiny are suspected to be from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Afghanistan, news agency PTI reported.

Discrepancies in documents were first noted by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), followed by local inquiries before notices were issued. Most cases were reported from border and migrant-heavy districts including East Champaran, West Champaran, Madhubani, Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Supaul.

"So far, 99.11 per cent of electors have submitted documents for verification," an Election Commission (EC) official said, adding that the final rolls will be published on September 30, ahead of the likely November assembly polls.

The Supreme Court has asked the EC to accept Aadhaar or any of 11 specified documents for voter enrolment. The poll panel, in turn, has urged the court to repose faith in its ongoing revision exercise.