Over 1,000 Voters Removed from Bengal Electoral List in Cyber Breach

Over 1,000 voters were removed from the electoral rolls in a West Bengal Assembly constituency after a major security breach in the election system, according to a Hindustan Times report.

The breach reportedly started in September 2023 and involved stolen login credentials of four Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). Officials from the Election Commission told the newspaper that the incident took place in the electoral roll management system.

West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, said that the breach was discovered during an enquiry by electoral officials. He confirmed that the assistant system manager was found to be involved.

"Many deletions seem to have taken place, but we’ll know the full details only after a complete investigation," Agarwal said.

An official order from Agarwal’s office named the assistant system manager as Arun Gorain, a government employee. He allegedly stole the login ID of AERO Swapan Kumar Halder, who is also the Joint Block Development Officer of Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district.

According to the report, Gorain inserted his own mobile number into the system and used one-time passwords (OTPs) to access and approve voter forms, including Form 6 (new voter addition), Form 7 (voter deletion), and Form 8 (corrections).

Gorain has been suspended for misconduct, following a complaint by the district administration, The Indian Express reported.

Officials say his motive is still unknown. "It could be for money, or he might be working with political parties," one official said, adding that the Election Commission of India (ECI) will look into it.

The investigation will also focus on how this breach went undetected for over a year and whether any other officers were involved.