 "voters")
A case has been registered based on the complaints filed against the alleged use of fake voter ID cards during the Youth Congress organisational polls, Kerala police said on Saturday.
Police said a comprehensive probe will be conducted into the allegations and a special investigation team comprising eight members have been formed in this regard.
Police have registered an FIR invoking various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document).
Thiruvananthapuram DCP, Nithin Raj told the media that the alleged mobile application used for creating the fake IDs, its developer, and other relevant matters will come under the probe.
"We will investigate the issue behind the forged voter ID cards and those who made and used such documents. A comprehensive probe will be held," he said.
The Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala had on Friday directed the state police to investigate complaints of alleged use of fake voter ID cards during the Youth Congress organisational polls.
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Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay M Kaul had forwarded the complaints his office received to the state police chief, urging appropriate action against the culprits allegedly involved in the fraud.
Meanwhile, the Youth Congress had denied the allegations.
The allegations cropped up two days after the Youth Congress announced the results of its internal organisational poll. Youth Congress leader Rahul Mankoottathil was elected president of the state organisation in the polls held a few weeks ago.
The CPI(M) and the BJP in Kerala criticised the Congress over the issue.
The BJP on Saturday held marches at various places protesting against the incident.
BJP state president K Surendran had accused a faction of the Congress in Kerala of creating fake voter ID cards and the serious implications, suggesting potential misuse in general elections and for acquiring SIM cards.
"A faction of the @INCKerala created bogus Voter ID cards for the Youth Congress election in Kerala. It's a serious offense. These artificially created fake voter IDs can be used in general elections. It can also be used to buy SIM cards. A Congress MLA is directly involved in the development of this application," Surendran had posted on X.
He blamed a Congress MLA in the development of the alleged application and claimed that top Congress leaders, including K C Venugopal and V D Satheesan were aware of it.
CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan had said it was a serious matter and called for an urgent and comprehensive investigation by agencies, including the Election Commission of India.
The CPI(M) had approached the Election Commission, expressing concern that the use of fake voter ID cards could pose a significant threat to democracy.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
