Three Afghan-origin men held in SIR case, their neighbours go quiet

…later said all had been released after interrogation, and that the investigation was continuing. ATS SP Raj Kumar Mehta told The Indian Express he had just taken charge and was not aware of the case details, but that if the accused had got bail, it may be because they had proper documents. The landlord from whom Ismail, Asil and Aslam had rented a room in Golmuri, Wasim (he does not want to share his last name), says he has known the family for decades and that they had been settled in the area for…

…Dhalbhum Sub-Divisional Officer Arnav Mishra, who is also the Electoral Registration Officer, says the cousins submitted photocopies of their passports to the BLO; it’s not clear how they acquired the passports. “ The passports passed the first level of scrutiny, and were sent for a second-level verification. This check showed that Ibrahim’s passport had been suspended earlier, for potentially him being an Afghan national, and that the process to cancel that of the other two was underway on the same grounds ,” the ERO says. A team led by Mishra investigated the matter, questioned Ibrahim and submitted its report to the district administration. The report was subsequently sent to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in…

…made easier, the provision does not cover Muslims. The Investigating Officer in the case, Gaurav Singh, says the same, telling the Indian Express that the documents submitted by the three men were made many years ago. “ The only problem seems here is that they don’t have Indian citizenship. Living and working anywhere is not a crime. However, they don’t have the right to vote. ”…