EC takes firm stance against fraud in NID corrections

The commission has taken strict measures against those involved in such activities, including filing cases, dismissing officials, initiating criminal proceedings and taking steps to arrest the accused.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin told BSS, "We have filed cases against many people over these allegations. Many of our officials have been dismissed. We have filed criminal cases against several individuals and taken steps to arrest them. So, we are not giving anyone any concessions."

He said some people had sold property by changing their names in NID records, while others had attempted to establish themselves as legal heirs through NID corrections. Some had also tried to change their passports through fraudulent means.

Therefore, he said, the commission could not approve corrections without proper verification and scrutiny.

EC officials said applications were being approved only after examining the relevant information, evidence and supporting documents and ensuring their authenticity.

Two officials temporarily suspended over alleged NID fraud

The EC recently suspended Kathalia Upazila Election Officer Md Ab. Sattar of Jhalokathi district after allegations of NID fraud against him were proved.

Office Assistant Kamana Rani Sarkar of Panchagarh Sadar was also temporarily suspended after similar allegations were proven, officials said.

Discrepancies found in correction applications

EC officials said some applications contained significant inconsistencies, including age differences of only three years between fathers and sons and two to three years between mothers and daughters.

Some applicants were also found to have multiple birth registration certificates or educational certificates.

Officials warned that making corrections without verifying such information could create complications and increase the risk of individuals obtaining NIDs using false identities.

The CEC said there were also reports of foreign nationals and Rohingyas obtaining NIDs by posing as Bangladeshi citizens.

He stressed that such applications required proper verification, investigation and review.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said many applicants were seeking changes to their dates of birth that contradicted their previous registration records.

Giving an example, he said a person born in 1997 had registered as a voter in 2015 at the age of 18. Later, the person applied to change the year of birth to 2002.

Under the proposed correction, the applicant would have been only 13 years old at the time of voter registration, although the minimum voting age is 18.

He questioned how such an application could be accepted.

Ahmed said some applicants sought corrections on humanitarian grounds, citing difficulties related to travelling abroad or personal circumstances. 

However, approving such applications without proper verification could create problems for the commission itself.

Documents examined by the EC

Officials said most NID corrections could be completed at the upazila level. 

However, complicated applications involving simultaneous changes to important information, including names, parents' names and dates of birth, were referred to higher authorities.

In such cases, relevant documents, including birth registration certificates and educational certificates, were examined.

For changes to a father's name, the EC also checks the father's NID and compares the information with the records of other family members.

An affidavit alone is not sufficient to approve such corrections.

The CEC said that if someone wanted to change both their own name and their father's name, the commission might ask them to submit the NIDs of their brothers and sisters to verify whether the father's name matched the family records.

Applicants complain of difficulties in the correction process

Some applicants have complained of difficulties in obtaining NID corrections.

Recently, Haridash Karmakar (pseudonym) from Keshabpur in Jashore came to the EC to correct his wife's name.

He said he had applied for the correction six months earlier.

At that time, he was informed that two birth registration certificates existed in his wife's name and that one of them had to be cancelled before the correction could proceed.

After cancelling one of the birth registrations, he returned to the EC office.

However, the concerned official asked him to submit attestation documents from his wife's brothers and sisters, biometric information and several other supporting documents.

He said he had not yet been able to collect all the required papers.

Over 13.55 lakh correction applications rejected

According to the National Identity Registration Wing of the EC, a total of 6,570,842 NID correction applications have been submitted so far. Of these, 6,442,832 have been processed, while 1,355,157 have been rejected.

Explaining the reasons for rejection, the CEC said many applications lacked the necessary information and birth certificates.

In some cases, applicants had multiple birth registration certificates, SSC certificates or graduation certificates, making it difficult to determine which document should be considered authoritative.

He said applicants whose requests had been rejected could apply again with the necessary supporting documents.

No application was rejected without proper investigation and evidence, he added.

Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed clarified that the total number of rejected applications did not represent the number of individual applicants.

One person might submit applications four or five times. Moreover, when an application sought corrections to several pieces of information, some requests might be approved while others were rejected.

He added that even after an application was rejected at the upazila or Director General level, the applicant could appeal to the secretary level, where it could also be rejected.

Some applications had been rejected as many as six or seven times. 

Therefore, the total number of rejected applications could not be used to determine the actual number of affected applicants, he said.

Special initiatives for expatriates

EC officials said initiatives were underway to make NID services easier and faster for expatriate Bangladeshis.

Applications submitted with proper documentation would be processed more quickly, they said.

The CEC said voter registration and NID services for expatriates had already been introduced at several Bangladeshi embassies.

He said some people had travelled abroad without proper passports, while others had gone through brokers, requiring additional verification.

Reports had also been received that many Rohingyas were working in Saudi Arabia using Bangladeshi passports, he added.

"If all the information is correct, we will certainly try to resolve expatriates' issues as quickly as possible. Expatriates can be called the lifeline of the country. The country's economy depends on their remittances. We will try to provide them with services with VIP status," the CEC said.

Akhtar Ahmed said some people had obtained NIDs earlier but subsequently used birth registration certificates to obtain passports, creating discrepancies between the two sets of records.

He said such problems could be avoided if the information in birth registration certificates was kept consistent with NID records.

He further said that many people changed their ages and other personal information to meet employment-related age requirements in Middle Eastern and other countries. 

Later, when they encountered problems, some also applied to change their fathers' or mothers' names.

Which corrections are easier and which are more complicated

The EC aims to ensure that citizens provide accurate information during voter registration so that they do not need to seek corrections later.

However, corrections relating to address changes due to relocation, marital status following marriage or divorce, and changes in religion can be made through the prescribed procedures.

Md. Saiful Islam, Director (Operations) of the National Identity Registration Wing, told BSS that corrections to fundamental information such as names, parents' identities and dates of birth required proper verification of supporting documents and evidence, reports BSS.