Indian Citizenship Worth ₹50? Jharkhand Poll Officer Orders Inquiry Into BLO After Locals Allege Corruption in SIR Registration

Key Points:

A VIDEO FROM JHARKHAND showing a Booth Level Officer (BLO) allegedly extorting money from people during the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has gone viral. According to reports, the viral video is from Garhwa district, Jharkhand, where several people alleged that they were being extorted into paying ₹50 by the BLO to fill out the SIR form. They also claimed that they were threatened if they refused to comply. 

In the video, Booth Level Officer (BLO) Jamila Bibi, who is posted in Gorayaband Tola under Khapro Panchayat in Ranka block, is allegedly seen demanding between ₹50 and ₹100 as "kharcha paani" (a bribe) in exchange for filling out the SIR form. Following a visit to the village, several people told India Today that the BLO was demanding money from residents.

See Also: Assam Man Submits 15 Documents to Prove Indian Citizenship, High Court Still Declares Him a Foreigner

Locals Allege Facing Threats of Losing Citizenship

According to reports, some people whose SIR forms had already been filled out were allegedly asked to pay money for the submission of the forms. Meanwhile, others were allegedly asked to pay for having their forms filled out. Another video featuring a local resident, Mohammad Parvez Ansari, has also surfaced, in which he claims that people were threatened with having their citizenship taken away.

Ansari told the media, "The BLO is demanding around ₹50 for filling out the form. If someone objects or refuses to pay, they are threatened, saying, 'We will snatch your citizenship.'"

Ansari further claimed that when they approached others regarding the BLO allegedly extorting money from villagers, they were told to let the matter go.

BLO Jamila Bibi Reacts to the Allegations

Following the backlash, Jamila Bibi denied all allegations of extorting money and claimed that she was being targeted. Bibi further stated that, as the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Gorayaband Tola under Khapro Panchayat, she had processed 170 SIR forms and alleged that the accusations were made to malign her reputation, India Today reported.

Several netizens have reacted to the viral video of Jamila Bibi. "Imagine losing your citizenship for ₹50," wrote one user on X. Another user applauded Ansari for calling out allegedly corrupt BLOs and added, "SIR does not have anything to do with losing or gaining citizenship. Exclusion from the voters' list isn't a permanent ban on voting."

See Also: No Benefits for Women Delted During SIR Under Annapurna Bhandar: Bengal BJP

Another X user took a dig at government employees, writing, "Only ₹50? Poverty is raging even among government employees." Another user commented, "They aren't even trained or aware of the SIR process. They are busy extorting bribes from people."

K. Ravi Kumar, Jharkhand's Chief Electoral Officer, ordered an inquiry after a video allegedly showed a Booth Level Officer (BLO) taking money from people. Authorities have also reportedly sealed a cyber café in Dhanbad after reports emerged that people were being charged to fill out voter enumeration forms.

Several users on X expressed concern over the documents required to prove citizenship in India and criticised the BLO for allegedly threatening people's citizenship over ₹50.

On June 24, 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made a statement that sent ripples across the country. The MEA clarified that a passport is not a document of citizenship but rather a travel document. The controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is being conducted to revise the electoral rolls, verify the details of existing voters, and identify fake voters.

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in West Bengal, the Suvendu Adhikari-led government has begun verifying the state's Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries based on SIR data. Critics have argued that the move could leave thousands of people ineligible for ration benefits if their names are not included in the voter lists. Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, reports claim that more than 90 lakh names have been deleted as part of the SIR revision carried out by the Election Commission of India. 

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(Edited by Harsh Pandey)