Vijayapura: FIR against Yatnal over alleged fake death certificate to delete voter’s name

Mangalore Today News Network

Vijayapura, Oct 9, 2026: The Jal Nagar police have registered an FIR against expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who represented the Bijapur City constituency, for allegedly submitting a forged death certificate to get a voter’s name deleted from the electoral roll.

The complaint was filed by Abdul Razak Bhagawan, 50, a resident of Bhagawan Colony in the Bijapur City constituency. He alleged that Yatnal and a booth-level agent attempted to have his name removed from the voters’ list during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise by submitting a fake death certificate.

“I am a resident of Bhagawan Colony and earn my livelihood by selling vegetables. I am a voter in the Bijapur City constituency and possess an EPIC card. Our MLA and a booth-level agent submitted Form 7 to the Vijayapura City Corporation commissioner on September 3, claiming that I was dead and that my name should be deleted from the electoral roll. They also attached a false death certificate,” Bhagawan stated in his complaint.

He sought legal action against Yatnal and the booth-level agent for allegedly forging documents and conspiring to remove his name from the voters’ list.

On Wednesday, three women from Vijayapura had also accused Yatnal of falsely declaring them dead and seeking the deletion of their names from the electoral roll. They demanded criminal action against him.

In a separate case, the Gandhi Chowk police have registered another FIR based on a complaint by Javed Indikar, 32, a resident of Nisarmaddi, against BJP corporator Girish Patil, a close aide of Yatnal, for allegedly misusing Form 7.

Indikar alleged that Patil had submitted Form 7 to have his name deleted from the electoral roll by forging documents claiming that he had permanently moved out of Nisarmaddi.

He has sought legal action against the corporator over the alleged forgery and attempt to remove his name from the voters’ list.